Breath of the Undead
by RFK
Summary: A Chinese vampire wrecks havoc upon San Francisco. COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

TITLE: BREATH OF THE UNDEAD AUTHOR: RFK SERIES: CHA RATING: PG-13 - Violence and mild adult language.  
SUMMARY: A Chinese vampire wrecks havoc upon San Francisco.  
FEEDBACK: - Be my guest. But please, be kind.  
DISCLAIMER: The Charmed Ones, Cole Turner, Chris Halliwell, Leo Wyatt, Darryl Morris and other characters related to Charmed belong to Spelling Productions, Brad Kern and Constance Burge. The McNeill family and a few other characters are my creations.  
NOTE: Takes place about two weeks following "Torn Duty". Alternate Universe Season 6. The character, William Bourgh, was first mentioned in the previous story, "The Uninvited" (http/ The character, Cedric Lloyd, first appeared in "Auld Lang Syne" and last appeared in "The Uninvited".

BREATH OF THE UNDEAD by RFK

Chapter One

Video images flickered on the large screen inside the Turners' living room. Giggles and guffaws filled the semi-dark living room, as a familiar figure appeared before the occupants' eyes. "Oh my God!" Paige crowed. "Cole, is that you . . . with Goofy and Donald Duck?"

Something akin to a growl rose from Cole's throat. "What of it?"

The Charmed One continued in an annoying voice, "Dude! If any of your . . . 'colleagues' ever get a peek at this, your reputation will be shot to hell!" Cole overheard Piper snicker. "What on earth made you pose with Disney characters?"

"Maybe Olivia had threatened not to give it up for the night, if he didn't." Then the youngest McNeill sibling yelped in pain, as Olivia struck the back of his head with a rolled-up magazine. "Ow! Olivia!"

Cole's red-haired wife coolly replied, "There are children in the room, moron." She referred to Darryl and Sheila Morris' two sons, who had accompanied the couple.

"It don't bother me," Darryl Jr. piped up. "Mama and Daddy are always talking like . . ."

Darryl immediately cut in. "Not now, Darryl!"

Three days had passed since Cole and Olivia's return from their honeymoon. The newly married couple had invited family and friends to view the videos they had recorded during their trips to the West Indies and Disney World. Piper and Paige, the Morrises, Scott Yi and Olivia's two brothers and sister-in-law had accepted their invitation. Her parents and grandmother happened to be on vacation in Palm Beach.

The video presentation continued for another twenty minutes before it finally ended. Cole turned off the VCR machine, while Olivia turned on the lights. "Okay everyone, that's it," the redhead announced.

A sigh left Piper's mouth. "That was nice. I haven't been on a trip like that since . . ." She paused before quickly adding, "Never mind." Cole suspected that the Charmed One had been on the verge of mentioning her Hawaiian honeymoon with Leo, nearly three years ago.

"You mean since we were in Scotland, last summer?" Paige asked.

The older Charmed One sighed. "Well . . . yes. I suppose. Although I was really thinking of a cruise. I haven't been on one since 1997. And I've never been to Disney World."

"We went to Disneyland for the Christmas holidays," Sheila commented. Her eyes became slightly dreamy. "The boys had a nice time. So did I."

Darryl added caustically, "I supposed it was . . . if one ignored the high prices and the crowds." Sheila gave him a hard stared. He finished lamely, "But I still liked it."

"What about you, Cole?" Bruce asked. "How did you like Disney World? I remembered that you didn't want to go in the first place."

Reluctant to admit the truth, Cole merely replied, "It was . . . okay. Not exactly to my taste, but . . ."

A derisive snort from Olivia interrupted the half-demon. "Oh please! Are you kidding? He loved Disney World! In fact, he even bought annual passes for us both, so that we can visit on weekends once in a while."

Cole sighed long and hard, while the others stared at him in shock. Piper exclaimed, "You've got to be kidding! A dem . . ." She glanced at Darryl's sons. "I mean . . . someone with Cole's tastes crazy about Disney World? God, I wish I had been there!" Cole glared at her.

"His mother loves the place," Olivia continued. "She was the one who had recommended that we stay at the Grand Floridian."

Barbara smiled and patted Cole's arm. "Well, I think that's great. Maybe I should talk Bruce into taking me."

"Good luck," Bruce murmured in a low voice. Cole overheard him, anyway.

Then the half-demon glanced at the clock on the fireplace mantle. "It's getting late. And I have a meeting with Mark Giovanni, tomorrow."

"Ah! Poor man." Olivia planted a light, sympathetic kiss on Cole's temple. "I'll be with you in spirit during every moment of your meeting."

Cole added, "Actually, you'll probably be with me . . . in person. We've been invited for dinner at his place, tomorrow night."

Olivia regarded her husband with genuine horror. "You mean to say that I'll have to spend an entire evening with that family?"

"It's the price you pay for marrying me."

-----------

Judge William Bourgh of the th Federal District, leaned back into his chair and sighed. He imagined himself back on his Christmas vacation in the South Pacific, laying on one Fiji's spectacular sandy beaches. Instead of his wife laying beside him, he saw the sensuous body of his . . .

Someone knocked on the door, interrupting his fantasy. Seconds later, the Bourgh family's housekeeper strode into his private den. "Pardon me, your Honor, but you forgot this." She handed him a padded yellow envelope.

Bourgh stared at the package. "What is that?"

The housekeeper handed him the package. "Something from the Winslow Travel Company. Someone had delivered it just before dinner."

"The Winslow Travel Company?" Bourgh frowned. Then he shook his head. "Must be something from my recent vacation. Thank you, Rita."

"Yes sir." The housekeeper quickly nodded and left the den. Bourgh tossed the package on his desk. He would examine it later. Perhaps at work, tomorrow. Then he leaned back, closed his eyes and resumed with his little fantasy.

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Kenny Jai glanced at his watch and sighed with relief. The time read ten thirty-nine in the evening. In another twenty-one minutes, he would finally be able to call it quits for the night. The large shipment of antiquities for the Green Dragon Import/Export Company had finally arrived from Taiwan, today. Kenny and his fellow co-workers spent nearly five hours unloading the shipment into the company's warehouse.

Using the forklift, Kenny unloaded one last crate from the truck and placed it on the warehouse floor. He then switched off the vehicle's engine and jumped down. "Hey Joe!" he cried to his supervisor. "Can I leave now? Everything's been unloaded!"

"Might as well," Joe replied. "I'm leaving right now. Turn off the light on your way out." He strode toward the warehouse's exit. In other words, Joe had left the responsibility of locking down to Kenny.

The younger man rolled his eyes and headed toward the warehouse's small office. He grabbed his heavy jacket and clocked out. After locking the office, he strode toward the exit. As he passed the last crate, Kenny heard something rattle. Another minute passed before he realized that it came from the crate next to him.

His curiosity aroused, Kenny pried open the crate and tossed the top on the ground. He peered inside and inhaled sharply at the sight of an antique coffin made from silver. Slowly, he reached out to touch it. Before he could, a violent force threw back the coffin's lid. Kenny gasped, as he took a step back. A figure dressed in a red-and-gold robe sat up. Long green hair framed a greenish-tinged face that possessed large red eyes. And hands with claw-like nails pushed open the lower lid. Kenny screamed in terror as the figure turned to face him. Kenny immediately turned on his heels and raced toward the exit. Before he could reach the half-opened double doors, a violent force with sharp nails tackled him to the ground.

END OF CHAPTER ONE 


	2. Chapter 2

BREATH OF THE UNDEAD by RFK

Chapter Two

The bell above Ostera's front door rang. Paige placed the last jar of St. John's Wort on one of the shelves and picked up an empty box. She then headed straight toward the front and found Harry standing near the counter. The clock on the wall read twelve fifty-four. Paige smiled at her boyfriend and kissed him. "Hey! Right on time."

"Isn't this a bit late for you?" Harry asked. "You usually have lunch about an hour earlier."

A hot wave of embarrassment washed over Paige's face. "Yeah, well . . . since Maddy had been covering my disappearances . . ." She paused. "We had decided to switch lunch hours for a month or two."

"Hmmm." Naturally, Harry knew about her recent trouble with Barbara. "So, that means Maddy should be returning just about . . ."

At that moment, the shop's second assistant, Maddy Oser, strolled into the shop. "Paige, I'm back!" She glanced at the red-haired witch. "Hi Harry."

"Maddy," Harry greeted with a smile. Then he turned to Paige. "Ready?"

Paige nodded. "Yeah. So, where are we going?" She grabbed his hand.

"How about the Grand Palace in Chinatown. I thought you might like some dim sum."

"The Grand Palace it is." Paige orbed her and Harry out of the shop and into an alley, off Grant. A few minutes after they had merged into a crowd of pedestrians, the couple entered a crowded restaurant.

A smiling maitre'd led Paige and Harry toward a table next to a green-and-red lacquered column. Another five minutes passed before a waiter appeared and asked if they wanted drinks. Both ordered hot tea. Once the waiter left, Harry glanced around and declared, "God, I'm hungry. I hope that one of the carts will reach our table, soon." He had referred to the numerous carts that held bamboo baskets filled with dim sum. The waiters pushed them around the dining room from one table to another, allowing customers to make their selections on the spot, instead of ordering from menus.

Paige glanced to her right and saw a waiter pushing a cart toward their direction. "Looks like it might happen very soon."

"Oh my God!" The woman's voice took Paige by surprise. She and Harry glanced up and found a very attractive Asian-American woman hovering beside their table. The woman stood at least five-feet six and seemed to be in her mid-to-late twenties. She possessed very delicate features that included high cheekbones, pale golden skin and dark hair styled in a long bob. "Harry McNeill? Is that you?"

Much to Paige's surprise, Harry sprung to his feet. He enveloped the woman into a bear hug. "Janet!" he cried. "Janet Hui! My God! How are you?"

"Pretty good, as a matter of fact." Miss Hui's eyes swept over Harry's figure in an appreciative manner that Paige found annoying. "Wow! You've certainly filled out since I last saw you. How long has it been since we had graduated from college?"

Still smiling, Harry replied, "Nearly five years ago, as a matter of fact. Five years in late May. Why don't you join us for lunch?"

Janet turned down Harry's offer - much to Paige's relief. "I'd love to, honey. But I'm meeting a friend for lunch. However . . . how about dinner, tonight? You can bring . . ." She glanced at Paige. ". . . your friend along."

"Paige," Harry added. "This is Paige Matthews. Paige, this is Janet Hui. She's an old school friend of mine."

Offering her hand to Paige, Janet greeted, "Nice to meet you." Then she returned her attention to Harry. "I wondered when you were going to introduce us to each other."

"I was about to," Harry protested.

Janet rolled her eyes. "Right." She said to Paige, "I hope to see you for dinner, tonight. You'll be in for a real treat."

A dim smile touched Paige's lips. "Thanks," she said in a lukewarm voice. "I'm looking forward to it."

"And you, Mr. McNeill," Janet said to Harry, "we've got a lot of catching up to do. By the way, I live at 6012 Tenth Avenue. In the Outer Richmond District."

Harry nodded. "That's not far from where Paige lives. We're looking forward to tonight. I only hope that I can say the same about your cooking."

"Watch it, McNeill!" Janet retorted with a mock glare. "I just might take back that dinner invitation. Besides, my boyfriend will be cooking, tonight. We usually have dinner around seven-thirty."

Another smile curved Harry's lips. "Then I guess I'll be looking forward to dinner, tonight." He pecked Janet's cheek. "We'll see you then." Janet smiled once more and moved on.

Once Harry had settled back into his seat, Paige went on the attack. "So, who is this Janet Hui to you?"

Harry calmly replied, "Ex-girlfriend from college. And a very good friend."

"So, how long did you two date?"

Harry peered closely at Paige. "You're not jealous, are you?"

"I hope, for your sake that you're not reading my thoughts!" The words came out of Paige's mouth before she could stop herself.

The red-haired man broke into a wide smile. "Well that answers my question."

"I am not jealous!" Paige exclaimed vehemently.

The smile still stamped on his face, Harry shrugged. "If you say so." Paige opened her mouth to retort, when he added, "Looks like the waiter is back with our tea. And here comes the dim sum."

Paige shot a dark glare at her boyfriend before the waiter appeared at the table.

---------

"I'm back, your Honor." Bourgh's secretary poked his head through the doorway of the judge's private office. "Just to let you know. Is there anything you need?"

Bourgh immediately stuffed a few items back inside the yellow envelope and glanced up. "No, thank you Ross," he said with a dim smile. "I'm fine."

Ross nodded. "Okay. But you should know that they will be sending jury candidates for the new trial in about . . ." He glanced at his watch. ". . . another twenty minutes or so."

Ah yes, the Becker trial. Bourgh had forgotten. Again, he thanked his secretary and dismissed him. Once Ross had left, the judge went to the door and locked it. Then he returned to his desk and dumped the contents of the yellow envelope on his desk.

The material that greeted Bourgh's eyes filled him with horror. Photographs of him having sex with his mistress inside a hotel and in her private home, copies of bills for expensive gifts and bank statements, and a CD-ROM disk laid scattered on the desk. Bourgh picked up three of the photographs. Each one featured him and his mistress, Laura, in a position straight out of the KAMA SUTRA. His heart racing rapidly, Bourgh inserted the CD-ROM disk into his computer drive. Nearly a minute later, the judge found himself viewing a video clip that featured him engaging in sex with Laura and a second woman beside a pool at Laura's Palo Alto home.

Cries and moans from the computer's speaker filled the office. A horrified Bourgh continued to stare at the screen. Then a woman's loud moan snapped the judge out of his reverie and he stopped the video clip. He was ruined. There seemed to be no doubt about that. The judge wondered if the Decker family had sent the package. It seemed like something to expect from such a corrupt family.

One last object caught Bourgh's eyes. A business card that read:

Cedric Lloyd Attorney-at-Law (415) 653-8080

Bourgh stated at the card in his hand. He then glanced at the clock on the wall. It read one forty-eight. His first instinct was to tear up the card. But the photographs, the disk and other material from the yellow envelope made him realize it would not be wise to ignore the card's owner. Instead of using his office telephone, Bourgh reached inside his jacket pocket for his cell phone. He dialed the number on the card. Seconds later, a man's voice answered. "Cedric Lloyd, speaking."

After a brief hesitation, Bourgh said, "This is William Bourgh. I believe that you had sent a yellow envelope to my home, yesterday."

"Oh yes! Judge Bourgh! I wondered when you would call. I had expected to hear from you, yesterday." The man's voice oozed with smugness.

Feeling a shaft of anger, Bourgh growled, "You know I should have you disbarred for this! Blackmailing a Federal . . ."

A heavy sigh from Lloyd interrupted Bourgh. "Please, your Honor. I think you're the last person to be casting stone. Judging from those photographs and that disk. I understand that keeping a mistress can be very expensive. You've even accepted a few bribes over the years to keep your finances in the black. Including one from a certain businessman named Paul Hans . . ."

The judge brusquely demanded, "What do you want?"

"Your help." Lloyd paused. "I suggest that we meet later, this evening. I know this little café on Balboa Street called Larkin's. It's in the Inner Richmond District. I'm sure that we might be able to enjoy some coffee, while we continue this conversation."

Smug bastard! Bourgh closed his eyes for a brief moment and took a deep breath. "Fine!" he finally snapped "I'll see you around eleven. Tonight."

Delight radiated from Lloyd's voice. "I'll be there. Good day." The line went dead.

Bourgh paused before he disconnected his cell phone. Then he sighed. Heavily.

END OF CHAPTER TWO 


	3. Chapter 3

BREATH OF THE UNDEAD by RFK

Chapter Three

The black Porsche came to a halt near the end of the Giovanni driveway. A three-story gray stone manor rose before them. The couple inside the car heaved long-suffering sighs. "Here we are," Cole announced quietly.

A slight moan escaped from Olivia's mouth. "Must we really go inside? Maybe we can call the Giovannis and tell them that we came down with something. You know . . . lie. Or perhaps create clones of ourselves."

"A lie sounds like a good idea," Cole conceded. He leaned forward. "Now, if only we can . . ."

Before Cole could do anything further, the manor's front door opened. A dark-haired man dressed in a tailored gray suit stepped outside, followed by a manservant. "Cole! Olivia! Welcome! Xavier told me that he had spotted your car."

The couple exchanged brief looks of regret before climbing out of the Porsche. With an expansive smile fixed on his face, Cole greeted his client. "Mark, it's good to see you." He shook the other man's hand. "How was . . . uh, Fiji?"

Mark Giovanni's expression darkened slightly. "It could have been better. If I had been alone." Then his tone brightened. "And how was your honeymoon?"

Cole's smile became more genuine. "Very enjoyable." Olivia briefly caressed his forearm. "For both of us."

Olivia added, "I certainly enjoyed it."

Giovanni took hold of Olivia's hand and shook it. "Mrs. Turner," he greeted enthusiastically. Then he paused. "Or do you prefer your maiden . . .?"

Politely, Olivia interjected, "Mrs. Turner is just fine. What can I say? I'm a little old-fashioned."

The vintner escorted the couple inside the manor. Its interiors almost reminded Olivia of a museum - elegant, expensive and very ascetic. Almost chilly. The manor's décor reflected its mistress' taste and personality to a T. The manservant, Xavier, took Cole and Olivia's overcoats before Giovanni led them to an even more elegant drawing room.

"Pamela, our guests have arrived," the host said to his wife. "You remember Cole Turner, don't you?"

A thin, blond woman with equine features approached the visitors with a brittle smile. "Of course. How could I ever forget? And how is married life treating you?"

Cole returned Pamela Giovanni's polite smile, as he shook her hand. "Very well, thank you. And I'm sure that you remember my wife, Olivia?"

"Miss Mc . . . I mean, Mrs. Turner." Mrs. Giovanni regarded Olivia with chilly eyes. "It's nice to meet you, again."

The socialite then introduced her two children. The oldest Giovanni offspring turned out to be a pretty brunette in her early to mid twenties. Anna Giovanni not only possessed her father's dark looks, but also his warm and easy-going manner.

One could not say the same about the family's only son - Alonzo Giovanni. The twenty-one year-old had obviously inherited his mother's blond hair and angular features. He also possessed Pamela Giovanni's brittle personality. Not long after introductions had been made, Olivia saw Alonzo draw Cole into a private corner for a brief conversation. Apparently, so did Mr. Giovanni. The wine maker kept a surreptious eye on his son and attorney, while discussing the family's recent trip to Fiji.

Judging from young Alonzo's expression, his conversation with Cole must have ended in disappointment. He seemed bent upon projecting his mother's brittle and cold manner toward the half-demon. On the other hand, the college junior seemed taken by Olivia. She had great difficulty in returning his feelings, given his penchant of "accidentally" brushing his arm against the side of her breast. After the third time, Olivia "accidentally" grounded the 11/2 heel of one of her shoes into the young man's foot. Alonzo cried out in pain. Feigning remorse, Olivia exclaimed, "Oh my God! Are you hurt?"

"No! No . . . I'm . . . I'm fine," the blond man muttered with a clenched jaw. "I'm okay."

Olivia added, "Perhaps you should check your foot. In case I'd hit a nerve or something. I mean . . . I had stepped on it pretty hard." Wariness gleamed in the young man's eyes, as Olivia flashed her most sympathetic smile. After he limped out of the room, she turned to the others with a sheepish expression. "I think I may have hurt him. I really should watch where I step."

"Hmmm . . . perhaps you should," Mrs. Giovanni coolly replied.

A smirk briefly appeared on Cole's face, as Olivia met his gaze.

--------

Janet Hui and her live-in boyfriend co-owned a two-story Victorian house in the middle of San Francisco's Outer Richmond neighborhood - not far from the Halliwell manor on Prescott Street. Harry had to admit that he found Janet's home very impressive. She and her boyfriend had decorated the house with tasteful mid-19th century furnishings and antiques that gave it an elegant, yet warm aura.

"This is absolutely beautiful," Harry declared, gazing at a Murano glass vase locked inside a rosewood cabinet. "Where did you get this?"

A satisfied smile touched Janet's lips. "In Venice. Ron and I took a trip to Italy, last September. We managed to get it for a pretty cheap price."

Harry turned to his girlfriend, who remained seated on a nearby sofa. "Say Paige, you should see this." He added to Janet, "She has a real artistic eye. In fact, she's a pretty good artist, herself."

"Really?" Janet glanced over her shoulder to smile at Paige.

The Charmed One merely responded with a slight smile. Harry sighed. For some reason, Paige seemed to feel threatened by Janet's presence. Which did not make sense to Harry. After all, he had informed Paige that his so-called romance with Janet had only lasted one month. After their break-up, the pair remained close friends. And with Janet now involved with her live-in lover . . .

"Okay everyone!" A Eurasian male of medium height and light brown eyes strode into the living room. "Dinner is ready."

The four people started toward the dining room. "Ron happens to be a great cook, by the way," Janet commented. "His dad owns a restaurant on Grant. The Lotus Palace."

The name struck a familiar chord with Harry. He recalled an elegant Chinese restaurant on Grant, near Jackson. It served both Mandarin and Cantonese cuisine. "I think I may have been there a few times," the redhead commented. "Great food." Once inside the elegant dining room, Harry eyed the meal spread out on the table. "And this looks pretty good, too." He sat down, along with the others.

Ronald Wong, Janet's boyfriend, smiled. "Thanks. That's quite a compliment coming from a guy whose mother and brother are world-renowned chefs."

Janet rolled her eyes. "Good grief! Ron, I know I had asked you to be polite, but don't you think you're laying it on a bit thick?"

"I happened to be a big fan of Gweneth McNeill's," Ronald protested. "Remember when I had taken you to the Golden Horn for our second anniversary dinner?"

One of Harry's brows formed an arch. "Second anniversary? I didn't realize that you two were married."

Ronald shook his head. "We're just living together . . . much to my dad's horror. It'll be three years, next July." He paused to pick up a platter of meat. "So, is anyone in the mood for chicken breast?"

Dinner turned out to be a delicious affair - Chicken Breast Stuffed with Lamb Mousse, Marinated Artichoke Hearts and Mushrooms, Chateau Potatoes and a salad. "Wow! This is great!" Paige exclaimed between mouthfuls. "If you're not a chef, you're in the wrong profession."

The compliment seemed to please Ronald. However, he responded with the appropriate modesty. "Thanks. I was lucky to get out of court early to work on this stuff. Especially with a new trial starting. Of course, I doubt that I'm in the same class as Harry's mom and brother."

"You could probably give them stiff competition," Harry commented. "You never thought of becoming a chef?" He took a bite of chicken breast.

Janet chuckled. "If you only knew."

"Knew what?"

After a pause, Janet continued, "Mr. Wong had wanted Ron to join him in the family restaurant. But Ron didn't want to. Instead, his younger brother ended up becoming a chef."

Paige asked both Janet and Ron, "What exactly do you two do for a living?"

"We're both attorneys," Ron answered.

Janet added, "Only I work for a private firm - Jackman, Carter and Kline." Both Harry and Paige exchanged knowing looks, which Janet caught. "What? Don't tell me that you've heard of the place."

Harry cleared his throat. "My brother-in-law works there. Cole Turner."

Janet's eyes grew wide. "Of course! I had forgotten that he had married your sister. He's one of the firm's star attorneys. Ron, on the other hand, works for the U.S. Government. The Justice Department. He's involved in a high profile case."

Rolling his eyes, Ron protested, "It's not that big. I'm not even the main prosecutor."

"What's the case?" Harry asked.

A paused followed before Ronald finally answered, "The Curt Decker case. Drug manufacturing and trafficking."

Harry whistled loudly. "That's pretty high profile. I was surprised that the law had finally caught up with one member of the Decker family."

"Can we talk about something else, please?" Janet begged. "I've been hearing nothing else but Curt Decker for the past four months."

Silence followed before Paige asked Janet a question. "Can you cook like Ron?"

Recalling his former girlfriend's past forays into cooking, Harry unintentionally snickered aloud. Janet glared at him, while an amused smile appeared on Ronald's face. "Let's just say that cooking was never one of my natural talents," she replied huffily.

You can say that again, Harry added silently. However, he wisely kept such thoughts to himself.

-----------

"He's not such a bad guy," Ronald commented later to Janet. Their two guests had just departed for the evening. And the couple retired to the kitchen to clean the dishes. "Harry, I mean."

Janet nodded. "Just as I had told you. The McNeills are what I would consider a rare breed amongst the rich - decent people."

Ron asked, "Then why did you break up with Harry, if he's that great?"

"I'd realized at the tender age of nineteen that I wasn't into narcissist relationships."

"Huh?"

Janet sighed. "Harry and I . . . we were too alike."

Ronald nodded. "Oh."

Janet continued, "Besides, he now has Paige."

Under his breath, Ron murmured, "Yeah, but for how long?"

A frowning Janet demanded, "What do you mean?"

"Didn't you notice how uncomfortable she seemed this evening?" Ron continued. "At first, I thought she was simply jealous of your old relationship with Harry. But when we had started talking about our careers, she practically fell silent. I get the feeling that Harry might be a little out of her depth."

Recalling Harry's family secret, Janet sniffed. "Maybe. I hope not . . . for Harry's sake." She opened the refrigerator and peered inside. "Damn! We're out of orange juice."

"I'll get some, tomorrow morning," Ron promised.

The young woman turned pleading eyes upon her boyfriend. "Couldn't you get some, tonight? It's only . . ." She peered at her watch. ". . . ten-forty."

A heavy sigh left Ronald's mouth. "All right. Larkin's Café should still be opened." He reached inside his pockets for car keys. "I'll be right back." Then Ronald pecked Janet's cheek and left the kitchen.

------------

Bourgh paused before the trendy café on Balboa Street before entering. He glanced around the café's dining area until his eyes fell upon a lone man at one table near the far corner. Slender, the man seemed to be in his early thirties. The latter also possessed thinning brown hair and intelligent sharp eyes peered from a rather bland and pale face.

The judge nervously cleared his throat before making his way toward the stranger. "Excuse me," he began, "are you . . . Cedric Lloyd?"

Sharp gray eyes peered at the judge. "Yes. And you must be William Bourgh." He smiled and held up his hand. "How do you do?"

Bourgh ignored the offered hand and sat down in an empty chair opposite the other man. "So, Mr. Lloyd . . . what do you want from me?"

"Your help." Lloyd took a sip of his coffee. "I need your help regarding a future case."

Frowning, Bourgh shook his head. "What future case? What are you . . .?"

Lloyd cleared his throat. "Let me explain. My client has been interested in a particular piece of property near Oakville. So far, the property has eluded his grasp. As a last resort, I plan to ask the Federal government to declare eminent domain over the property. Which is owned by someone you've obviously heard of - Mark Giovanni."

The name struck a very familiar chord to Bourgh. "Mark Giovanni," he murmured. "Of Giovanni Vineyards?" A thought came to him. "Wait a minute! Oakville? As in Santa Rosa County?"

Lloyd smile, looking like the Cheshire cat. "I see that you're familiar with Mr. Giovanni."

"Well, of course!" Bourgh retorted haughtily. "We run in the same circles. In fact, my wife and I had encountered his family in Fiji, last month." He paused, frowning at the other man. "Oakville. That's under . . ."

With a flourish, Lloyd finished, ". . . under your jurisdiction. Yes, I'm well aware of that. Along with some of your transgressions." Bastard.

Bourgh stared at the younger man in disbelief. "Wait a minute! Even if you ask the Federal courts to declare Eminent Domain over Giovanni's property, there is a small chance that the case will end up with me."

A sigh left Lloyd's mouth. "Please, your honor. Let's not play games. We're both aware the chances of this case ending up in your docket are very strong. And when it does, my client and I hope that you will rule in his favor." He paused, as an air of menace surrounded him. "Unless you have other plans?"

Memories of the bills, the photographs and the CD-ROM disk flashed in Bourgh's mind. "No," he murmured. "I don't."

"Good." Lloyd took another sip of his coffee. "My client also assures you that your help will be greatly awarded." Bourgh stared at him. "Let's just say that a share in his company will guarantee you security for the rest of your life."

A share? Bourgh wondered how much this particular stock share would be worth. He sighed and averted his eyes. The sooner this Giovanni matter ended, the better. He only hoped that Lloyd's client would not use this offer of stocks and the material in the yellow envelope for long-term blackm . . .

The door to the café swung open and in walked a nightmare. Bourgh inhaled sharply at the sight of a familiar figure approaching the counter. It happened to one of the prosecutors of his new case - Ronald Wong. Dammit! He had to get out of here! A panic-struck Bourgh glanced around for another exit.

"What's wrong?" Lloyd demanded, staring at him.

Anxiously, Bourgh replied, "That man. The one who had just walked in. I know him."

Lloyd frowned at the Eurasian man. "Who is he?"

"His name is Ronald Wong." Bourgh released a gust of breath. "He's one of the prosecutors for the new case I'm not presiding over."

At that moment, Wong glanced to his side. His eyes widened with surprise at the sight of Bourgh. "Oh God!" the latter hissed frantically. "He's seen me! Sorry, but the deal's off!"

"Wait a minute!" Lloyd protested. "Not so fast. I doubt that this . . . Mr. Wong will remember you from tonight, once my case ends up before you."

"I can't take the chance." Bourgh rose to his feet. "I would rather my wife find out about my affairs than end up in prison on corruption charges. Sorry." He glanced at the counter. Wong had left. He sighed. "It was nice meeting you, Mr. Lloyd." And the judge walked out of the café before his companion could stop him."

----------

A slightly intoxicated man stumbled out of a bar. Bernard Remar glanced to his left and then to his right. Where could his car be? His befuddled mind suggested that perhaps he had left his car in the nearby alley.

Weaving uneasily, Bernard slowly made his way toward an alley, several yards away from the bar. As he entered, his eyes caught sight of something up ahead. A dark shape. Was it his car? Or . . .?"

Bernard paused in his tracks. He peered at the dark image. Hmmm . . . Perhaps he had been wrong to assume that his car would be in this alley. Instead of a car, there seemed to be a human standing before him. A human that . . . hopped? Bernard peered closer. A human with long hair, long fingernails and red . . .

A scream poured from Bernard's mouth, as long claws stretched forth and grabbed his throat.

END OF CHAPTER THREE 


	4. Chapter 4

BREATH OF THE UNDEAD by RFK

Chapter Four

"Hey."

Piper glanced up and saw Paige enter the kitchen. "Hey yourself. How was dinner, last night?"

A grunt escaped from Paige's mouth.

"That bad, huh?" Piper removed two eggs from the refrigerator. "Well, I'll make it up to you with some nice . . ."

Paige heaved a large sigh. "Dinner was fine," she grumbled. "In fact, it was a five-star meal."

Piper felt a small stab of jealousy at. "Oh? So, Harry's ex-girlfriend must be quite the cook."

"She can't cook worth a damn," Paige grumbled. "At least according to Harry. Her . . . boyfriend cooked the dinner. Chicken Breast Stuffed with Lamb Mousse."

Piper blinked. "Chicken Breast Stuff With . . . huh. Wow!" Then a thought came to her. "Is this boyfriend a chef?"

"Nope. He's a lawyer. Prosecutor for the Feds."

The older woman noticed the gloomy expression on her half-sister's face. She cracked the eggs into a small bowl. "Let's see. Harry's old girlfriend has her own boyfriend. Who also happens to be a fabulous cook. So . . . why the long face?"

Grumbling, Paige shot back, "I don't have a long face."

"Fine." Piper resumed her preparation of breakfast. "So, what do you want with your omelet? Ham? Cheese?"

A sigh left Paige's mouth. "Cheese will be fine. Along with red and green peppers." Again, she sighed.

Exasperated by her sister's moodiness, Piper slammed an egg-coated fork on the counter. "Okay, Paige! What the hell is wrong? What happened last night?"

"Nothing happened, Piper," the younger woman replied coolly. "Except I had to spend most of last night listening to Harry and the others talk about their careers. It made me realize that I was the only person in that room, making less than thirty thousand dollars a year."

So that was it. Piper let out a gust of breath. "Honey, you don't anything to feel ashamed about. You're a college graduate from . . ."

"A college graduate, who happens to be a shop's assistant, Piper!" Paige retorted. "Because I had made the stupid mistake of giving up my career!"

Piper realized that appeasing her sister's bitterness might be more difficult than she had imagined. "But you had done it to become a full time witch. Remember?"

"Gee, that's just swell, Piper! Except I've been learning that being a full time witch doesn't mean learning sixteen different ways to kill a demon!"

Piper retorted, "Look Paige, you're one of the Charmed Ones. One of the most powerful witches ever. And whether you like it or not that means that you have a duty to be a protector of the innocent!"

Sneering, Paige shot back, "Well, isn't that peachy? That makes me feel sooo much better to hear this speech from someone who, deep down, doesn't give a rat's ass about being a witch!"

That went well. Or not. After taking a few breaths, Piper said in a calm voice, "Paige, I realize that you're feeling a little blue right now. I've gone through this, myself. You're disappointed that your life didn't turn out as you had expected. Hey! I wanted to be a chef and restaurant owner. Instead, I own a nightclub. But . . ."

"But what, Piper?" Paige's sneer grew more pronounced. "Are you trying to tell me that I should be thankful for being a 'protector of innocence'? Barbara thinks it's a joke. So do Harry and Olivia, even though they haven't said anything. Or maybe I should be thankful that I have a regular job, despite giving up a better one?"

A long pause followed before Piper quietly said, "Maybe you should be thankful that you have two sisters who love you."

Paige's dark eyes glittered with an emotion that made Piper feel uneasy. "Do you?" the younger woman murmured. "Was that the reason why you had finally invited me stay here in the house? Or why you and Phoebe had convinced me to become a witch? Because you love me? Or because you needed a third sister to replace Prue and revive the Charmed Ones?" She paused and shook her head. "You want to know something, Piper? There are times . . ." Paige broke off and heaved a sigh. "Never mind."

But Piper needed to hear what Paige had meant to say. "Never mind . . . what?"

Rolling her eyes, Paige merely replied, "Trust me, Piper. You don't want to know." She rose to her feet. "You can have my omelet. I'm going to work." She marched out of the kitchen, leaving behind a very stunned Piper.

----------- 

Darryl turned the police sedan from Mason and into an alley entrance, before coming to a halt. After switching off the engine, he and Olivia climbed out of the car. The redhead glanced up at the sky. "Hmmmm," she commented. "Looks like rain."

"Again?" Darryl frowned. "I thought we had seen the last of the rain for a while."

"This is San Francisco, Darryl. Not L.A. or San Diego." Olivia added, "Of course, for this time of the year, there's usually a lot more rain down there."

Darryl grumbled, "That's comforting."

The duo's colleague, Carlotta Trujillo, broke away from a group of police officials and approached them. "Hey guys," she greeted in a breezy manner. "Looks like we've got ourselves a real winner."

"Oh?"

The other woman continued, "His name is Bernard Remar. Found I.D. on him. His body was found inside a half-empty dumpster by two Sanitation Department employees around . . ." Carlotta glanced at her watch. ". . . an hour-and-a-half ago."

Both Olivia and Darryl allowed Carlotta to lead them toward their other colleague, Scott Yi. He leaned against a large, olive drab dumpster. Next to the dumpster laid a Caucasian male dressed in a rumpled gray business suit. The man's pudgy body not only reeked of alcohol, but also contains patches of green mold on his face and exposed upper chest. Olivia frowned. "Mold? Where did that come from? Inside the dumpster?

Scott shook his head. "No. We didn't find moss of any kind, in there. But look at his upper chest."

Darryl knelt beside the corpse. Olivia watched, as he examined Remar's upper chest. It contained slash marks. And the man's white shirt and gray tie had also been slashed. "What in the hell?" Darryl exclaimed. "What in the hell happened to him?"

"It's obvious that someone had slashed him," Carlotta answered. "Someone with a claw. Notice how the slash marks came in fours?"

Olivia noticed. Which led her to wonder if an animal had attacked the victim. But why only slash the upper chest? She expressed this aloud.

Scott added, "Look at his chest, again. There are more than just slash marks on it. Seems to me that Mr. Remar had been stabbed first." He paused dramatically. "With four puncture holes in at least two places. Very odd."

Again, Olivia stared at the victim's chest. Just as Scott had pointed out, Bernard Remar had been stabbed. Before or after being slashed - at the moment, no one knew. 

Carlotta shook her head. "If I didn't know any better, I'd swear that this Remar guy had been killed by something unnatural. This whole setup . . . it's just strange."

"Unnatural?" Darryl shot an uneasy glance at Olivia.

Olivia sighed. "I hope not. For our sake. And for Captain McPherson's." Darryl's unease increased. She glanced at Scott and noticed the latter's grave expression. As if something seemed familiar to him. A gnawing feeling struck Olivia that she and her colleagues may have stumbled across something other than a simple murder case.

-----------

Artemus stared at the human in disbelief. "Did I hear correctly?" he asked softly. "This hu . . . this judge had refused to cooperate? Despite the photographs and everything else?"

Cedric Lloyd's usual self-assured manner seemed to have crumbled. "I . . . it seems that Judge Bourgh is more afraid of facing prosecution for corruption than being exposed as an adulterer to his wife."

"Hmmmm." The powerful daemon leaned back into the large leather chair, inside his corporate office. "And all because of some . . . young prosecutor?"

Nervously, Lloyd nodded. "Yes, Ronald Wong. It seems that Wong is one of the prosecutors for the case that Bourgh is presiding over."

A sigh left Artemus' mouth. "Very well. Thank you, Mr. Lloyd. I'll look a little further into this matter."

"It's really very simple," Lloyd added anxiously. "Just get Wong out of the way. Once he's out of the picture, exposure to adultery is the only thing that Bourgh will have to worry about."

A cool smile quirked the daemon's lips. "Thank you, Mr. Lloyd. I realize that, now." Artemus swiveled his chair around to face the large window that overlooked San Francisco Bay. "Like I said, I'll deal with the matter. Good day." The moment Artemus heard the attorney close the door, he swiveled his chair back around and reached for the telephone. "Prax! Get in here."

Less than a minute later, the daemon's subordinate entered the office. "Yes, Artemus?"

The older daemon heaved another sigh. "I have a problem, Prax." He revealed Cedric Lloyd's situation with William Bourgh. "This problem requires the elimination of someone."

Curiosity gleaming in his eyes, Prax asked, "To whom should I assign this job?"

"I think that a witch . . . or even a warlock would suffice," Artemus replied. "After all, the target is simply another mortal. And I suggest that our assassin use mortal means to eliminate . . . the, uh target. I don't want his death attracting the wrong attention. Like Belthazor."

"Belthazor?" Prax looked confused. "How would this mortal's death attract his attention?"

Artemus scowled. "Because Belthazor's wife is a police officer. If either of them ever gets a whiff of any supernatural connection . . ."

Prax nodded. "I'll see to it, right away." He hesitated momentarily. "Pardon me Artemus, but who is the target? Bourgh?"

"No." Artemus picked up a file from his desk. "We need him alive. The target's name is Ronald Wong. He's a U.S. attorney with the Justice Department. Compose a dossier on him and give it to our assassin."

This time, Prax bowed. "Yes, Artemus." He turned on his heels and strode out of the office. Artemus focused his attention upon the file in his hands.

------------

"Hold the elevator, please!"

Cole glanced at the attractive woman who rushed toward the elevator. He immediately punched the OPEN elevator . . . just in time for the young woman to dash inside.

Once the doors had closed, the woman gushed a breathless "Thanks!" to her benefactor.

"What floor?" Cole asked.

The woman replied, "Twelfth." She let out a gust of breath, while Cole pushed the number 12. Then he noticed her dark eyes staring at him. "Oh my God! It's you!"

One of Cole's eyebrows quirked upward. "Pardon me? Do we know each other?"

"Not exactly," the woman replied, her breathless tone still apparent. "I'm, uh . . . I've seen you around. Before. And I've heard of you. Cole Turner. Right?"

His paranoia flaring up, Cole regarded his companion with wary eyes. "Uh . . . yes, as a matter of fact. And you are?"

"Janet Hui." The woman held out her hand. Cole shook it. Reluctantly. "I basically do Criminal Law."

"Really?"

Ms. Hui continued, "And I'm an old school friend of Harry McNeill."

"My brother-in-law?"

The elevator stopped at the twelfth floor. The doors slid open. Ms. Hui stepped out. Cole followed. "This is your stop?" she asked.

Cole nodded. "That's right. I'm going to the law library."

"So am I." 

The pair proceeded to walk along the corridor. The half-daemon continued, "So, you went to school with . . ."

Ms. Hui finished, ". . . with Harry? Oh yeah. At Stanford. In fact, I had just run into him, yesterday. We had dinner, together." Cole shot her a surprised glance. "Along with his girlfriend, whom I believe you know. Paige Matthews. And my boyfriend was also there. Ron. We had even mentioned you." She smiled prettily. "Small world, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Cole responded with his own smile. "Small world."

----------

Olivia and Scott entered the police station's forensics lab. There, they found pathologist, Deborah Liu. "May I assume that you want the report on the Remar body?" she asked in her usual caustic manner.

"You may assume," Scott retorted. "Don't tell me. It's not ready yet."

"Actually . . . it is." Deborah thrust a yellow envelope at Olivia, who grabbed it. 

With a sneer stamped on his face, Scott shot back, "Well, this is a record for you, isn't it? It usually takes you two to three days to get a report back to us. Instead of . . ." He glanced at his watch. ". . . four-and-a-half hours?"

The forensics specialist stared coolly at Scott. "Wow! We're really in bitch mode, today. Aren't we?"

"What's in the damn report?"

Olivia opened the envelope and removed a brown folder. Deborah continued, "It seems that your Mr. Remar had died from collapsed lungs. Both of them."

Frowning, Olivia asked, "You mean he had some kind of respiratory disease?"

"Nope," Deborah replied with a shake of her head. "His lungs simply collapsed. That's it. He had no disease, no virus . . . nothing. It's almost as if the oxygen in his lungs had suddenly disappeared."

"Are you kidding?" Scott exclaimed. "But what about the marks on his chest?"

Deborah frowned. "What about them?" The two police officers stared at her. "Okay, look. Yes, Mr. Remar had suffered some blood loss after being . . . attacked. But the slash and puncture marks didn't kill him. His lungs had collapsed. And with the marks and green moss on his body . . ." She paused and shook her head. "I don't know. If I didn't know any better . . . Never mind. You figure it out. I have other bodies to examine. She turned away from the detectives."

Both Olivia and Scott exchanged wary looks. "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" the latter murmured.

"Darryl is not going to like this," Olivia added.

"Darryl isn't going to like whom the real killer might be," Scott shot back.

Olivia stared at him. "Please don't tell me that we're about to venture into the world of the supernatural."

"Okay, I won't." Scott turned on his heels and walked out of the Forensics Lab.

"Scott!" Olivia cried, as she rushed after her colleague. "Scott, wait up! Do you know who killed Remar?"

Scott paused in his tracks. "Not who . . . what." Olivia continued to stare at him. "C'mon Livy! I'm surprised that you haven't guessed yet. Sudden loss of oxygen, along with the marks on Remar. The green moss."

Nearly two minutes passed before an unlikely idea came to Olivia. "Oh Goddess! Not the . . ." Her voice dropped to a whisper. ". . . chiang shi?"

END OF CHAPTER FOUR 


	5. Chapter 5

BREATH OF THE UNDEAD by RFK

Chapter Five

Darryl stared at the two other officers inside his office. "Chi . . . what? What's it called?"

Both Scott and Olivia exchanged glances before the former said, "Chiang shi. It's a . . . uh, a vampire. Chinese vampire."

"Oh shit," Darryl murmured. He then heaved a long sigh. "I should have known it would turn out to be something like this. So, what are you saying? That this Bernard Remar is going to be a vampire within a few days or less? And how do you know that a vampire . . .?"

Scott interrupted. "I saw the clues, Darryl. The slash marks and puncture wounds made by someone with a four-pronged claw. According to Debbie Liu, he died of crushed lungs. And then there's the green moss, which clearly makes the killer a chiang shi. My grandfather Po has told me about his own encounter with a chiang shi."

Olivia added, "And Master Chan had told me and my brothers about it." Darryl's eyes widened questioningly. "My dad's friend, who happens to be a Taoist monk? Remember? You've met him a couple of times at our Sunday brunches and at my wedding."

"Yeah. Right." Darryl shook his head. "So, this chi . . . uh, chiang shi killed the guy? Man, McPherson is not going to like this. How do I explain this to him?"

With a shrug of her shoulders, Olivia suggested, "How about the truth?" Her two colleagues stared at her in disbelief. Darryl wondered if she had lost her mind. "What? Listen, the more we insist upon telling McPherson the truth, the more he will be inclined to suppress it. I suspect that he'll believe us in the end. But I'll bet anything that the Department will move heaven and earth to ensure that the public doesn't find out."

Disbelief rang in Darryl's voice. "Are you crazy?"

Olivia sighed. "What? It's just like that short story by Edgar Allan Poe. You know, 'The Purloined Letter'. In order to hide a private letter he had stolen from the Queen of France, some minister places in plain view and everyone ignores it, except for the protagonist."

"Forget it!" Darryl retorted. "I'm not giving McPherson a reason to dump me into the nearest psych ward. Nor do I want to attract more attention from Liz Sheridan."

Someone knocked on the door. Then it swung open, before Carlotta popped her head inside. "Hey guys! Another body has been found. Same M.O."

Darryl stood up. "Where is it?"

"At some warehouse for the Green Dragon Import/Export Company."

"Great!" Darryl grabbed his coat, while Olivia and Scott started toward his door. "Just what we need." Then he followed the other two out of his office.

----------

"Hi." Paige greeted her sister, as she descended P3's staircase. "I thought you would be home, today."

A sigh left Piper's mouth. "God, how I wish that were true! But I had booked TWISTED KNIGHTS for tonight and tomorrow night. Which means that I'm expecting the club to be crowded. I hope."

A long silence followed before Paige made her way over toward the bar. "So, where's Wyatt?"

"Sleeping in my office." Piper closed her appointment book. "I couldn't reach Leo or Chris." She turned to one of her employees. "Gene, could you turn on the TV?" Gene did as she had asked. Piper added, "It's a little quiet in here." And better that they had the television to distract them rather than discuss this morning's conversation. But Paige kept such thoughts to herself. 

The television screen revealed on of San Francisco's late afternoon anchormen announcing the news of a local murder. ". . . discovered the body of 29 year-old Kenneth Jai, an employee of a local import/export company called the Green Dragon. According to the police, a fellow employee, 25 year-old Edward Zhing, discovered Jai's body . . ." The two sisters and the bartender watched, as the anchorman introduced a field reporter. She revealed that the victim's body had been found lodged between two crates inside the import company's warehouse. The police found slash marks on the victim's chest."

The reporter then introduced Darryl Morris, whom she identified as the lead police investigator. Darryl added that Mr. Jai had been dead for at least 40 hours - nearly two days. "However, a second victim was discovered earlier this morning in an alley off of Mason. We have identified the body as one Bernard Remar, an assistant bank manager from the Richmond District. Like Mr. Jai, Mr. Remar had slash marks on his chest. He had been dead for at least 8 hours."

Paige mumbled, "Oh great! Now the city has to deal with some serial killer. Who knows how long we'll be looking over our shoulders for some guy who slashes at people?"

Piper shot a quick glance at Gene, whose attention seemed to be focused upon the TV screen. "So far, the killer seems to be after men. Maybe 'we' won't have to worry."

On the television screen, Darryl began to turn away from the reporter. She cried after him, "One last question, Lieutenant. Can you say that the slash marks sustained by both Kenneth Jai and Bernard Remar are similar?"

"Yes," Darryl warily answered. "In fact, there is a strong chance that both sets of wounds were inflicted by the same person."

The reporter asked, "Is there a chance that the killer might be some kind of animal?"

For a brief second, Paige thought she had seen Darryl's eyes flicker. The detective inhaled sharply. "As far as we're concerned, the perpetrator is not an animal."

"But the slash marks . . . there is a rumor that they had been made by claws," the reporter continued. "If this is true . . ."

"I assure you that no animal had killed Mr. Jai or Mr. Remar," Darryl insisted in a firm voice. "No wild animal is roaming the streets of San Francisco, no animal has escaped from the zoo and the Green Dragon Import/Export Company does not import animals of any kind."

An elderly Asian man appeared before the camera, his face contorted in fear. "Not animal!" he cried in a thick accent. "Not human! Vampire! Chiang shi! It's chiang shi!" A uniformed cop gently dragged the man away from Darryl and the reporter.

"Uh . . ." the reporter began, "did that man just say . . .?"

In a firm voice, Darryl interrupted. "As far as we know, Bernard Remar and Kenneth Jai had been killed with a perpetrator with a knife. The San Francisco Police will make further inquiries into their deaths. Thank you." He nodded quickly and turned away from the camera.

While the reporter concluded her report, Piper picked up the remote and turned off the television. "Enough of that," she declared firmly. Then the oldest Charmed One said to her employee, "Uh Gene, could you finish stocking the bar? I want to check on Wyatt."

The bartender headed toward the bar, while Piper grabbed Paige's arm and dragged the latter toward her office. There, they found Wyatt fast asleep in a bassinet. "Chiang shi?" Piper declared in incredulous tone. "What the hell is that?"

"Like the old man had said," Paige replied with a shrug of her shoulders, "a vampire. Maybe."

Piper sighed. "Oh God! Vampires again."

A grumbling Paige shot back, "I don't see why you're complaining. You're not the one who nearly became a bloodsucker."

"I guess we better ask Chris to look into this matter. Or maybe Darryl."

Oh God, Paige thought bitterly. Once more into the breach . . . whether she liked it or not. And she did not like it. Unable to keep her thoughts to herself, Paige's next question took her sister by surprise. "Why?"

"Excuse me?" Piper stared at the younger woman.

Paige continued, "Why should we even bother going after this . . . vampire, if there is one? Darryl doesn't need our help. He has Olivia and Scott."

"Who are limited by their positions as cops," Piper shot back. "May I remind you that we're supposed to be protectors of the innocent?"

Paige retorted, "Well, I didn't ask to be one!"

Hostility flared between the two sisters. Paige defiantly faced her older sister, who glared at her. "Yes you did, Paige," Piper replied coldly. "When you had convinced Phoebe and me not to accept the Angel of Destiny's offer. Remember?" She turned away and marched out of the office.

Paige found herself fuming silently. She remembered, all right. And now she bitterly regretted ever changing her sisters' minds.

---------

Later that evening, Olivia entered the penthouse and removed her overcoat. She tossed both that and her purse on the nearby sofa. "I'm home!" she cried to an empty room. The aroma of food filled her nostrils. Olivia realized that she would find her husband inside the kitchen. Sure enough, she found Cole there, hovering over a stove. "I thought I had smelled something cooking." She sniffed the air. "Seafood?"

"Scallops," Cole replied. He turned around and planted a light kiss on Olivia's mouth. "Scallops with shrimp and lobster."

Again, Olivia inhaled. She peered at the wide frying pan filled with seafood. Next to it stood a saucepan bubbling with a white sauce. "Mornay?" she asked.

Cole smiled. "Good guess. I'm making Risotti with Seafood in Mornay Sauce." He peered at Olivia's face. "You look tired. Busy day?"

Olivia sighed. "If you call finding two dead bodies, busy. One was found in an alley off Mason and the other inside some warehouse in Chinatown."

Cole turned off the flames underneath the frying pan. "Serial killer?"

"Worse," Olivia grumbled. "Supernatural killer." Cole frowned, as she continued. "Scott thinks that both had been victims of a vampire."

Blue eyes widened in surprise. "Vampires? They're back?"

"Right now, it looks like one." Olivia sat down in one of the kitchen chairs. "Only this one might not be of European origin."

Cole sat down in another chair. His frown deepened. "Chiang shi?"

Her husband's comment took Olivia by surprise. "You've heard of the chiang shi?"

Sighing, Cole explained that back in the late 1950s', he and his former colleague, Tarkin, had a close encounter with one in Macau. "You've heard of how some European vampires have the power of thrall?" Olivia nodded. "Well, the chiang shi has the same power. Only, they're telepathically a lot stronger."

"I recall Uncle Chan telling Bruce and me that even the most powerful being - aside from any god - could find him or herself under a chiang shi's thrall." Olivia sighed. "I am not looking forward to this."

Cole stood up and walked over to where Olivia sat. He leaned over and lightly kissed the side of her neck. "Need any help?"

"Hmmm! Definitely," Olivia murmured. 

"Okay. Then after dinner, we can call Scott and Darryl and track down this vampire." Cole gave Olivia's shoulder a quick squeeze and returned to the stove.

------------

A tall, blond man with Nordic features and piercing blue eyes sat behind the wheel of a silver Lexus parked in front of a two-story Victorian manor. He waited patiently for a certain Ronald Wong to return home from work.

Keir Larson had originally belonged to a powerful witch coven located in Sausalito. But after placing a curse on an ex-girlfriend for dumping him nearly thirteen years ago, Keir found himself ousted by his fellow witches. His murder of the coven's high priestess not only labeled him as a warlock, it led him toward the profession of a supernatural assassin.

The warlock glanced at his watch. It read seven-eighteen in the evening. He sighed. Never again would he accept another quick assignment. The only reason he had accepted this one was that his client - a high-level daemon - had offered him a sum that would allow him to enjoy a year-long vaca . . .

Headlights appeared in the Lexus' rear-view mirror, cutting off Larson's thoughts. When a maroon BMW turned into the manor's driveway, the warlock realized that his target had finally arrived.

Wong climbed out of the BMW after a five-minute wait. He then reached inside the car to retrieve his briefcase. The moment Wong shut the door, Larson climbed out of his Lexus. As he jogged toward the other man, he mentally reminded himself that the daemon wanted no magic involved in Wong's death.

"Pardon me, sir," Larson cried out. Wong whirled around to stare at him. "Excuse me, but I'm trying to find Eighth Avenue and Geary Boulevard." The warlock reached inside his coat pocket and surreptiously removed his stiletto hilt.

Wong's body relaxed. "You're lost?"

"I'm afraid so." Larson took two steps closer toward the other man. "Could you help?"

The attorney nodded politely. "Well, Eighth Avenue is about two blocks east of here. And we're in the 1700 block." While Larson continued to listen, he pushed a button on the hilt and a corkscrew blade snapped out. "So, I would suggest that you head south to reach . . ."

Before Wong could finish, the warlock struck swiftly. He thrust the blade into the younger man's chest, burying it deep. The moment Larson removed the blade, Wong grabbed hold of his shoulders and held on in a tight grip. Then Larson struck again - this time, directly into the heart. The younger man gave a final gasp before sinking to the ground. Larson glanced around for any unwelcome witnesses. Satisfied that no one saw him, the warlock return to his Lexus, climbed inside and drove away.

------------

The chiang shi observed the murder form the rooftop of one of the houses that lined the street below. The moment the fair-haired mortal disappeared, the vampire leapt from the rooftop and landed on the sprawling green lawn below him.

Curious over the young man's fate, the vampire sprung toward the figure sprawled on the ground, across the street. The moment he reached the young man, it did not take the vampire very long to realize that the former was now dead. But his po - his smaller soul - remained strong and vibrant. The vampire smiled. If only . . . He glanced up at the sky. The full moon shone brightly. Unfortunately, its light failed to reach the fallen body.

Determined to have a companion, the chiang shi grabbed hold of the man's feet and dragged the body toward a spot that enabled the moon to shine upon. He closed his eyes and waited. He waited what seemed like nearly an hour. Finally, the vampire heard a loud gust of breath. He saw the young man spring into a sitting position. Fear and confusion gleamed from the latter's dark eyes.

"Come." The vampire helped the other to his feet. 

At that moment, a man appeared on the sidewalk and halted before the pair. "What the . . .?" He stared at the two vampires. "What the hell? Ronald? Is that you?"

The senior chiang shi quickly dug his claws into the man's chest. The latter let out a small cry and a gurgle. Then the vampire turned to his younger companion. "He is all yours."

Grabbing the man by forearms, the younger vampire jerked the former off of the older chiang shi's claws. Then he opened his own mouth, pressed it against he man's mouth . . . and inhaled. Within seconds, he had drained the man's breath from his body. 

The younger vampire dumped the man onto the ground and turned to his older companion. The latter nodded before both vampires leapt into the air . . . and away from the driveway.

END OF CHAPTER FIVE 


	6. Chapter 6

BREATH OF THE UNDEAD by RFK

Chapter Six

The two sisters orbed into the middle of one of Golden Gate Park's pathways. Paige tightly clutched a large wooden stake. Piper, on the other hand, held a large cross in one hand and a bottle of holy water - blessed by her and Paige - in the other.

Paige frowned at the objects in her sister's hands. "Holy water and a cross? Piper, we're not after Dracula. We're after a Chinese vampire. Remember?"

"Chinese, Romanian . . . what's the difference?" Piper mumbled.

With a gust of breath, Paige retorted, "The difference is that you can't vanquish a Chinese vampire with holy water and a cross. Didn't you read that article I had downloaded from the Internet and printed for you?"

Piper sighed. "I didn't have time," she retorted irritably. The snap from a broken twig broke the silence that surrounded the pair. Piper glanced nervously over her shoulder. "What was that?"

Paige's eyes cautiously scanned the area. "I don't know. But be careful. Our last encounter with vampires wasn't exactly a walk in the . . ." Another twig snapped. "You know, I have this bad feeling that we're being . . ." She spotted a dark figure between the trees. "Piper, look out!"

Before Paige could do anything, the same figure zoomed in from the right and knocked Piper to the ground. Paige immediately recognized the bestial features and yellow eyes of a vampire. Before the creature could sink his teeth into her sister's neck, Paige orbed the stake in her hand, into his back. The vampire disintegrated into a pile of ash.

"Oh God!" Piper cried. "Get it off me!" She sprang to her feet and began to brush the vampire's remains off her jacket and pants. When she finally removed all of the ash, she turned to Paige. "Is it off me?"

Paige examined Piper's clothes. "Yeah, it's all gone. No more . . ." A scream escaped from her mouth before a fist zoomed toward her face and knocked her unconscious.

---------

A few minutes earlier, Cole teleported himself, Olivia and Scott to another one of Golden Gate Park's pathways. The half-daemon glanced around the wooded area, frowning. "Are you sure this is where the chiang shi can be found?"

"Well," Scott replied, "my Uncle Jen-Hsun managed to track down some vampire activity to this area." The couple stared at him. "Using I-Ching. Divination."

Rolling his eyes, Cole sighed. "Oh God," he muttered.

Scott demanded, "What?"

"Divination?"

Olivia heaved an exasperated sigh. "Who cares how Scott's uncle found out about the vampire's location," she retorted. As long as it's . . ." Her cell phone rang. She removed it from her jacket pocket and answered it. "Hello? Oh Darryl." She said to her husband, "He's ready."

"Right." Cole nodded. With a wave of his hand, he teleported Darryl to a spot next to Scott. The police lieutenant weaved slightly on his feet before steadying himself. "Are you okay?"

Darryl blinked momentarily before he nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"First time you've ever been teleported?"

Shaking his head, Darryl replied, "No, not the first time. It's just . . . the sudden change of location, you know? It's hard getting used to."

"Good." Cole handed over a crossbow to his wife's partner. "It's a crossbow, but it allows you six shots without reloading. Very rare and not common here on Earth."

"Thanks." Darryl nodded at the others. "Ready?"

The three humans and the half-daemon proceeded along the path. They had been walking for nearly five minutes when Cole sensed a presence in the trees, above. A demonic presence. He held up one hand. "Wait a minute," he murmured. The others paused. "I think I sense some . . ."

At that moment, a figure dropped from one of the trees and grabbed Olivia by the shoulders. Before Cole could do anything, flames engulfed his wife's attacker, until he became a pile of ash. Then the red-haired witch pointed at her partner. "Darryl! Look out!" The warning came in time. Darryl whirled around and shot an arrow into what looked like a female vampire. She disintegrated into a pile of dust.

More vampires dropped from the trees. Cole incinerated three of them at once. Olivia incinerated one more. Scott used his electro kinesis to decapitate the heads of two vampires, and Darryl shot the last remaining one.

"So much for the chiang shi," Cole grumbled. "Just your standard European vamps. Looks like we had stumbled across a nest."

Scott shrugged his shoulders. "I never said that Uncle Jen was perfect."

"Who?" Darryl demanded.

A woman's scream penetrated the night air. Cole beamed them to the source of the scream. To their amazement, the quartet found Paige sprawled on the ground and the older Halliwell in the grip of a dark-blond vampire.

"Piper, freeze him!" Scott cried.

With fear stamped on her face, Piper merely managed a faint, "Huh?"

"I said . . ." The vampire's exposed fangs hovered above the Charmed One's neck. Panic filled Scott's voice.

Cole moved his hand and both Piper and the vampire froze. Actually, they began to move at a snail's pace. The half-daemon teleported the Charmed One from her captor's grip and placed her next to Scott. Then the vampire's movements returned to normal and he bit into . . . air. Darryl immediately took the opportunity to kill him with the crossbow.

"Oh God," Piper groaned. "That was too damn close. Where's Paige?"

A moan punctuated the night air. Olivia rushed to the younger Charmed One's side and helped the groggy young woman to her feet. "Wha . . . what happened?" Paige asked. A purplish bruise marked her jaw's right side.

Olivia explained, "You must have been knocked out by that vampire. He was about bite Piper, when we showed up. Cole helped Piper escape and Darryl shot him."

Confusion filled Paige's eyes. "Darryl shot a vampire with a gun?"

"With a crossbow," Darryl corrected. "And by the way, what are you two doing here?"

Piper answered, "Obviously the same as you. Looking for that vampire that killed those two men."

"Don't take this personally," Darryl continued, "but this is a police matter and . . ."

". . . and a magical one," Piper finished. "Our territory. You need our help on this one, Darryl."

Darryl regarded the oldest Halliwell with a cool gaze. "Considering that I work with Olivia and Scott, are you sure about that?"

The stunned expressions on Piper and Paige's faces interested Cole. He had never realized until now that Darryl no longer needed the Halliwells' help regarding all supernatural matters. Especially since he now worked with two magic practitioners - Olivia and Scott. It seemed that the Charmed Ones had finally become obsolete for Darryl. But Cole felt certain that the sisters would still require his help sometime in the future.

Olivia's next words eased the tension between her partner and the two sisters. "I don't know, Darryl. So far, we haven't had much luck in tracking down this chiang shi. Perhaps a little extra help wouldn't hurt." Both Piper and Paige regarded her with grateful eyes.

A sigh left Darryl's mouth. "All right. I guess you have a point. But ladies, please remember that this is a police matter. So, don't go half cock around town trying to track this thing. If you have any idea where this chiang shi might be, please let me, Olivia or Scott know. Okay?"

Piper's eyes blinked momentarily, while Paige's remained wide in shock. "Yeah," the older sister murmured. "Uh . . . yeah, we understand."

"Good." Darryl nodded crisply. Then he glanced at his watch. "It's getting late. I guess we all should be getting home. Maybe we'll have better luck, tomorrow night."

Cole exchanged a brief glance with Olivia. Her eyes reflected his own thoughts - a new era has dawned between Darryl and the Charmed Ones. Or perhaps this new era had already existed . . . and no one knew until this night.

----------

The sound of a telephone ringing penetrated Harry's deep sleep. He mumbled a few incoherent sounds and shifted his body before covering his head with one of his pillows. The ringing continued. Realizing that he was fully awake, a reluctant Harry sprung into a sitting position. With a groan, he reached over for the cell phone on his nightstand. "Hello?" he murmured.

"Harry? Oh God! I need your help!" The agitated voice belonged to Janet Hui.

Now fully alert, Harry glanced at the nightstand's clock. It read six thirty-eight in the morning. "Janet? Is there something wrong?"

"It's Ron!" his former girlfriend cried. "He hasn't returned home, yet. I think he's missing!"

Harry sighed. "Maybe he had left for work, early."

Janet shot back, "He's been missing since last night, Harry. Ron is usually home by seven or seven-thirty. He hasn't been home ALL NIGHT! Something's happened. Could you . . ." Janet hesitated. "Could you get hold of your sister for me? Maybe she can find Ron."

Another sigh left Harry's mouth. He had planned to finish a special project before going to the office. But since Janet needed his help . . . "Look, I'll be over within an hour. And then we'll call Olivia. Okay?"

Janet heaved a relieved sigh. "Okay. Thanks Harry."

"No problem. I'll see you soon." The two friends hung up.

It took Harry at least twenty-five minutes to shower and get dressed. Before he could reach the front door, Davies accosted him. "Mr. Harry? You're leaving now?"

"Uh, yeah. I'm meeting someone, Davies. An emergency."

The Welsh-born manservant frowned. "What about breakfast?"

Harry bit back a sigh. Davies could be such a worrywart, at times. "I'll get something along the way." Disapproval crept into the manservant's eyes. "Don't worry. I won't stop at McDonald's or anything like that." Before Davies could respond, Harry bid him good-bye and rushed out of the house.

Another twenty-eight minutes passed before his silver-blue Mazda MPV arrived at Janet's Outer Richmond home. He parked his car several feet away from her house. As he made his way toward the driveway, Harry spotted a figure sprawled on the ground, faced down. Fearing that the body might belong to Ronald Wong, Harry used his foot to turn it over.

To his relief, the body did not turn out to be Ronald. But Harry could not help but wonder over the stranger's true identity.

----------

The judge's assistant poked his head into the former's private chambers. "Pardon me, your Honor?"

Bourgh glanced up. "Everyone is ready?" he asked.

Ross hesitated. "Uh, well sir . . . Someone is missing."

Hope and fear mingled beneath Bourgh's chest, as he held his breath. "Really?" He stood up and donned his robes. Could it be? "Who's missing?"

"I think it might be one of the prosecu . . ." Ross began, but Bourgh had already brushed past him.

The judge made his way into the courtroom and a heavy silence ensued. He glanced at the defense table. The defendant, Curt Becker, and his attorney, Dean Corbin, wore smug expressions. He glanced at the prosecutor's table and noticed that only two of the prosecutors seemed to be present. Both John Reyes and Belinda Gilbert wore anxious expressions on their faces.

A sigh left Bourgh's mouth as he sat down. Then he faced the prosecution's table. "I understand that someone is missing."

John Reyes stood up. His thin face expressed concern for his missing colleague . . . and suspicion toward the defense team. "Yes, your Honor. One of my prosecutors, Ronald Wong, has failed to appear in court. I've called his home, but apparently he's missing."

"Missing?" Bourgh inhaled sharply. Missing? Ronald Wong was supposed to be dead. He was supposed to be found dead. How could he be missing? The judge collected himself and took a deep breath. "I see," he replied, expressing official concern. Then he added, "Are you prepare to continue with the case?"

The two prosecutors exchanged uneasy looks. Bourgh almost felt sorry for them. "I'm afraid not, your Honor," Reyes replied. "Not at this time." Triumph flashed in young Decker and Corbin's eyes. "Mr. Wong is detrimental in our prosecution of this case. And until we can learn of his whereabouts, I move that we postpone the trial until further notice."

Becker's attorney sprung to his feet. "Your Honor, I move that you declare a mistrial, considering that Mr. Reyes obviously does not have enough evidence to convict my client."

"I never said that!" Reyes retorted. "I'm only concerned about the whereabouts of Mr. Wong. And in light of his disappearance . . ."

Bourgh slammed down his mallet several times. "Enough!" He turned to the defense attorney. "Mr. Corbin, your motion for a mistrial is denied." The defense attorney's triumph crumbled. "As Mr. Reyes had pointed out, he is concerned over Mr. Wong's disappearance and not any lack of evidence. Therefore, this trial will be delayed until further notice. Court adjourned." He banged his mallet one more time and quickly left the courtroom.

Once inside the privacy of his chambers, Bourgh whipped out his cell phone and dialed a number. Seconds later, a voice answered, "Cedric Lloyd."

"Lloyd? This is Bourgh," the judge shot back. "I just heard about Ronald Wong."

Sounding pleased with himself, Lloyd replied, "Well, I see that you're ready to cooperate with my client."

"Not quite!" Bourgh retorted. "According to John Reyes, Wong is 'missing', not 'dead'. No body has been found."

"What?" Shock reverberated in Lloyd's voice. "How . . .?"

Bourgh interrupted, "All I know is that Wong is missing. Now, until he is reported dead, the deal is off. Good day, Mr. Lloyd!" He disconnected the line, before the other man could respond.

---------

Later that morning saw Olivia and Darryl standing over a corpse sprawled on Janet Hui and Ronald Wong's driveway. "According to the I.D. found in his wallet, his name is Jan Alamdar," Olivia commented. "He lives in the tan house just several yards away."

"I'm curious," Darryl said, "why are we involved in this particular case?"

After taking a deep breath, Olivia explained about the telephone call she had received from her younger brother. She also learned that Janet Hui's live-in boyfriend had disappeared, last night. "With a vampire on the loose . . ." she began.

"You mean more than one, don't you?" Darryl hinted.

Olivia sighed. "Yes. More than one. Anyway, with our favorite bloodsuckers on the loose, I thought it would be prudent that we, a special investigative unit, would get first dibs on this body. As it turned out, puncture wounds were found on his chest, but no slash marks."

"Are these wounds similar to the ones found on Jai and Remar?" Darryl asked.

"Yep."

Darryl turned to one of their colleagues. "Hey Marcus? Have this sent over to Forensics, so that Debbie Liu can take a look at it." He returned his attention to Olivia. "What about relatives? Did Mr. Alamdar have any?"

Olivia shook her head. "As far as we know, he lived alone. He's a financial consultant for a firm, here in San Francisco."

"Hmmm. Let's go inside." He and Olivia entered the two-story manor, where they found Harry trying to console a very anxious Janet Hui.

The moment Janet had spotted the two police officers she sprung to her feet. "Who was that in my driveway?" she demanded. "And what about Ron?"

Darryl calmly replied, "The man in your driveway was a neighbor - one Jan Alamdar." The younger woman gasped. "As for Mr. Wong, he has yet to be found. Normally, a person isn't declared missing until after 24 hours. But considering the circumstances - Mr. Alamdar's body and the presence of Mr. Wong's car in the driveway - we'll put out an A.P.B. on him."

"A.P.B.?" Janet frowned. "All Points Bulletin? Are you . . . are you hinting that Ron is a killer?"

Harry stood up and placed a reassuring hand on Janet's shoulder. "C'mon Jan. You know they don't think that. It's just the fastest way for them to find him."

Nodding, Olivia added, "Harry's right. As soon as Mr. Wong is found, we'll let you know. Meanwhile, perhaps you should stay home for a day or two. Just in case we have more news about . . . Ron."

"Yeah. Okay." Janet turned to Harry with pleading eyes. "Do you mind hanging around for a while?"

Both Olivia and Darryl exchanged wary looks, while Harry replied, "Sure. Mind if Paige joins us, later?"

Janet nodded. "That would be great."

Then Harry shot a cool glance at Olivia. She heard his voice in her mind retort, "Get your mind out of the gutter, Sis. It's not like that between Janet and me."

Olivia responded with a smile.

-------------

The intercom buzzed. Keir Larson glanced up from a pile of papers on his desk and stared at it. The intercom buzzed for the second time. He finally answered it. "Yes?"

"Sorry to interrupt, Mr. Larson," his assistant replied. Larson owned a small private security firm in San Mateo, a suburb of San Francisco. He sometimes used it to hide his murderous activities. The assistant continued, "There is a James Bishop on Line 280."

The warlock sat up straight. He immediately recognized the alias that the daemon, Prax, used in the mortal world. "Thanks Greg." Then he picked up the line. "Mr. Bishop," he greeted in a cool voice. "How may I help you?"

Prax's voice answered, "I'm calling in regard to your assignment, Mr. Larson. Is it completed?"

Larson relaxed. This happened to be one question he could answer with certainty. "Yes, Mr. Bishop. It has been . . . completed. I assure you."

"Then why has there been no report of Mr. Wong's death?"

The question threw Larson into a loop. "I beg your pardon?"

After a moment's hesitation, Prax continued, "There has been no report of Mr. Wong's death, Mr. Larson. My people have checked with the media and the local law enforcement." Before Larson could reply, the daemon added, "May I remind you that I had given instructions for you to make sure that his body would be found? And that it would look like a murder committed by a mortal?"

"Which is what I did!" Larson insisted. "In fact, I left his body on the driveway. Someone should have found it."

Prax shot back, "No one did, Mr. Larson. As far as we know, he has been reported missing . . . and nothing else. I suggest that you look into the matter. If it turns out that Mr. Wong is still alive . . . we'll deal with the situation, ourselves. And you might consider returning our retainer." The line went dead.

Stunned, Larson slowly hung up. Somehow, Ronald Wong's body had disappeared. Did this mean that the young attorney might still be alive? And wounded? For the sake of his own well-being, Larson hoped not.

END OF CHAPTER SIX 


	7. Chapter 7

BREATH OF THE UNDEAD by RFK

Chapter Seven

The young man's voice babbled on and on, while Cole did his level best to patiently listen. "Look, I'm sorry Alonzo but the answer is no. I cannot extend you any money at this time. Not until it's time for your next check. You know the terms of your trust fund."

"But this is an emergency!" Mark Giovanni's son protested.

Cole sighed. "It's always an emergency with you, Alonzo. I'm sorry, but the answer is no. Look, if you need money that badly, why don't you ask your . . "  
The line went dead. Cole glared at the receiver and hung up. Spoiled little bastard, he thought bitterly.

"Congratulations."

The half-daemon glanced up and found Veronica Altman standing in his doorway. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

The chestnut-haired woman strode into the office and sat down opposite Cole. "Feldman had just told me the news. You've landed the Macmillan case."

Cole realized that Veronica spoke of his new client, a young Palo Alto socialite named Holly Macmillan. She had been charged with the murder of her much older husband, a wealthy entrepreneur named Tobias Macmillan. "What's to congratulate me about? I didn't ask for the case and everyone thinks she's guilty."

"So what? At least you have a challenging case," Veronica replied. "And guilty or not, the Macmillans are important clients of the firm. If you win this one, the Old Boys will probably make you a partner by the end of the year."

His gaze now focused upon his colleague, Cole quietly asked, "And if I lose?"

Veronica merely responded with a shrug. Then she added, "Didn't Mike Bowers first have this case?"

"Yeah, but he decided to drop out." Cole leaned back into his chair and sighed. "Apparently, he came to the conclusion that Mrs. Macmillan is guilty and that he could never defend her properly. Didn't exactly make Jackson or Kline very happy." He paused, as something occurred to him. "Um, do you know the name of the junior associate that was working for Bowers? Kline had mentioned something about one."

Nodding, Veronica answered, "A second year named Janet Hui. She's . . ."

"I think I've met her," Cole said, interrupting. "Yesterday. It turns out that she's an old friend of my brother-in-law's. The younger one."

Veronica frowned. "Wait a minute. Isn't that the one who's now dating your former . . . um, sister-in-law?"

"You mean Paige."

Shaking her head, Veronica quipped, "Don't you find it a tad bizarre that your present brother-in-law is now dating your ex-sister-in-law?"

Cole merely smiled and summoned his assistant. "Eleanor, could you get hold of a junior associate named Janet Hui for me? Thank you."

Minutes passed while Cole and Veronica discussed the current office gossip. Then Eleanor returned his call. "I'm sorry Mr. Turner, but according to Ms. Hui's assistant, she's not in the office, today. Would you like her home phone number?"

Cole sighed. "Yes. Thank you, Eleanor." Then he changed his mind. "No, wait a minute. Ask Ms. Hui's assistant . . ."

"Carl," Eleanor added.

"Yes. Ask him if he could find any files on the Holly Macmillan case in Ms. Hui's office."

The phone line went silent again. Veronica stood up. "I better get going. I have a meeting with a client in . . ." she glanced at her watch, ". . . forty minutes or so. I'll catch you later." She bid Cole good-bye and started toward the door. As she left the office, Eleanor entered at the same time.

Cole stared at his assistant. "Was . . . um, Carl able to find the files?"

"I'm sorry Mr. Turner, but according to him, Ms. Hui had taken her copy of the Macmillan files home with her." Eleanor paused, as she held up a slip of paper. "But I did managed to get her address. If you want it."

Another sigh left Cole's mouth. "Her address will be fine." The assistant strode forward and handed over the slip of paper to Cole. "Thank you, Eleanor." Once alone, Cole sighed for the last time. He had hoped to leave work an hour early in order to begin preparation of tonight's dinner - to celebrate his and Olivia's one-month wedding anniversary. It looked as if a quick trip to Janet Hui's home had nipped his plans in the bud.

----------

The four police inspectors and the forensics expert filed into Darryl's office. Both Olivia and Debbie Hui eased into empty chairs, while the other three detectives remained standing. "So, Debbie," Darryl began, "is there anything we should know about the body found this morning?"

Debbie shook her head in disbelief. "This is getting unreal. Like Kenneth Jai and Bernard Remar, it seems that this . . ."

"Jan Alamdar," Olivia added.

"Thanks," Debbie murmured. "It seems that this Jan Alamdar had died the same way - collapsed lungs. Both of them. And the puncture marks found on his chest weren't responsible. Sudden loss of oxygen. I also found bruise marks on both of his forearms, caused by large fingernails. Or claws." 

Both Marcus and Carlotta stared at the pathologist. "What the hell was he doing on Ronald Wong's driveway?" Marcus demanded.

Debbie glared at him. "How the hell would I know? That's your job." She returned her attention to Darryl. "By the way, blood was found Mr. Wong and Ms. Hui's driveway. And it didn't belong to this Jan Alamdar."

"Maybe it belonged to Ronald Wong," Carlotta suggested. "Maybe Mr. Alamdar had witnessed Wong being attacked or something . . . and was killed himself."

Marcus protested, "But why leave Alamdar's body behind, and not Wong's?"

Carlotta grunted slightly. "I don't know. This case has been strange from the beginning, if you ask me. I think it's more suited for THE X-FILES." She paused and glanced at the others. "Or maybe that crazy old man was right about this being the work of a vampire."

"C'mon!" Marcus exclaimed. Everyone stared at him. "You can't honestly believe that! Do you? Besides, vampires are blood suckers. Their fangs leave two holes on the necks of their victims. I don't recall any of our victims being 'bitten'."

Debbie retorted, "That old man had claimed that Jai was bitten by a chiang shi. A Chinese vampire. A chiang shi doesn't suck the blood of its victims. It sucks the air. Which could explain the collapsed lungs. Right Scott?" 

Scott started to open his mouth, but Darryl intervened before the conversation could spiral out of control. "Right now, we have a pretty wild story for McPherson. Let's just keep investigating, until we can find something that makes sense. Something tells me that either Ronald Wong is responsible for the three bodies, or that he might just end up being body number four." He nodded at the pathologist. "Thanks for the info, Debbie. And that's all, everyone."

Everyone else began to file out of his office. Darryl asked Olivia and Scott to wait before they could leave. They sat down. "Okay, you two," he continued. "What do you think is really going on?"

Olivia and Scott exchanged glances. The latter began, "I don't know. I mean, I can understand if the chiang shi had killed Alamdar. But what happened to Wong? He's missing. His car is in the driveway. I just don't know."

"It's possible that Wong is now a chiang shi," Olivia stated. The two men stared at her. "How else can you explain the fact that he's gone, Alamdar was found dead on his drive?"

Confused, Darryl asked, "You mean to say that this . . . chiang shi may have turned Wong into the vampire?"

Scott shook his head. "A chiang shi doesn't turn his or her victim into another vampire. Not like the European vampires."

Olivia continued, "Let me put it this way. The Chinese - and West Africans, by the way - believe that each person has two souls, a superior or rational soul and an inferior or irrational soul. The superior soul could leave a sleeping body and appear as the body's double as it roamed about. It could also possess and speak through the body of another. Now, the inferior soul, or the po . . ."

". . . or p'ai," Scott added.

Olivia nodded. "Right. Well, the po often lingers in the bodies of the dead. Many believe that it can preserve the corpse. If the p'ai was strong enough, it could preserve and inhabit a corpse for a length of time, using the body to serve its needs. Once the dead body becomes animated by the p'ai, it becomes a chiang shi. Chances are that Ronald Wong had died a violent death and became one."

A horrifying thought came to Darryl. "In other words, we might have two of these Chinese vampires roaming the city." He leaned back into his chair and sighed. "Man, I don't know what to say to McPherson about this. I don't know. Maybe we should just do as you had suggested, Livy. Tell him everything. Especially since Debbie seems to believe in this chiang shi." He shook his head in disbelief. "I'm only surprised that she does."

"I'm not," Scott said. "I think you'd be surprised at how many people believe in the supernatural. They just don't want to admit it, because they fear that such beliefs might make them seem crazy. I mean, if people really didn't believe in the supernatural, shows like IN SEARCH OF would have died before the end of its first season."

Darryl rubbed both of his temples. "Well, it looks as if we're in for another night of vamp hunting."

Olivia stood up. "I'll give Paige and Piper a call." And another sigh left Darryl's mouth.

-----------

Paige parked her lime-green Volkswagen Bug behind Harry's Mazda. The cell phone on the passenger seat rang. Paige answered it. "Hello?"

"It's me, Piper," her older sister replied. "I got your message. How long are you going to be there?"

With an automatic shrug of her shoulders, Paige replied, "I don't know. Until later tonight, I supposed. Harry's been with Janet since this morning."

A long pause followed before Piper spoke. "All day?"

"It's nothing, Piper!" Paige's voice hardened at her sister's unspoken suggestion. "Harry and Janet are friends . . . and nothing else. I saw how she was with her boyfriend, two nights ago. Trust me."

Piper said, "If you say so. I just find it odd that a woman would contact an ex-boyfriend she hasn't seen in years, after her own boyfriend turns up missing."

"If that ex-boyfriend happens to be the brother of a cop, I'd call him too," Paige retorted.

A sigh left Piper's mouth. "Sorry. I should have known." She paused. "By the way, I just got a call from Olivia. She, Darryl, Scott and Cole might end up hunting for that chiang shi, tonight."

"You go ahead and join them," Paige said. "I'll just stay with Harry and Janet."

Again, Piper paused. "Okay," she finally said. "If you say so. I'll see you later. Bye." The older woman hung up, as Paige disconnected her cell phone. Minutes later, the youngest Charmed One climbed the small stoop that led to the manor's porch. Just as she reached out to ring the doorbell, a familiar sensation tingled the back of her neck. It could only mean one thing - danger. Paige turned around and allowed her eyes to scan the semi-dark street. Nothing. So, she went ahead and rang the bell.

A few minutes passed before the front door swung open, revealing a slightly disappointed Janet Hui. "Hi," she greeted the Charmed One. "Glad you could make it." She did not seem glad, but Paige refrained from saying so. She simply returned the other woman's greeting.

"I gather the police haven't found Ron, yet," Paige commented after entering the house.

Janet shook her head. "No, not yet. Harry's been forcing me to drink chamomile tea all day long. I'm surprised I haven't zonked out, yet." She led Paige toward the living room. "By the way, someone else you know is here."

That "someone" turned out to be Cole. Paige greeted her former brother-in-law with surprise. "What are you doing here? Did Harry . . .?"

"I came here to see Ms. Hui," Cole explained. "Regarding work."

"Oh? Like what?" Paige asked without thinking. Cole responded with a questioning stare. "Oh. Sorry. Didn't mean to be nosy."

Harry asked, "By the way, Cole, have you heard anything from Olivia about Ron? Or the guy I had found in the driveway?"

Cole shook his head. "Sorry, but I haven't heard from Olivia all day. I could get her . . ." He paused and cocked his head upward - as if had sensed something."

At the same time, Paige felt a similar sensation that she had experienced on Janet's front porch. It happened to be the same tingling sensation at the back of her neck. She stared at Cole. "Did you just sense . . .?"

The doorbell rang. Janet stood up and started toward the front door. "Maybe that's Olivia." She disappeared into the foyer. Seconds passed before Paige overheard Janet's voice cry out, "Ron? Ron! Where have you been?"

A frown appeared on Harry's face. "Wait a minute!" he exclaimed. "I don't think . . ." He rushed after his friend. Paige and Cole quickly followed. "Janet! Get away from . . ."

A scream filled Paige's ears. When she, Harry and Cole reached the foyer, they found Janet's body sprawled on the floor. Ronald Wong . . . or someone in a red Chinese silk robe that bore a strong resemblance knelt over her. Paige noticed the green tinge on his pale skin, along with his long, claw-like fingernails. "Oh my God!" she cried out in shock. "What happened to . . .?"

Then a second figure dressed in a similar Chinese robe appeared in the doorway. He opened his mouth, and a strong gust of wind sent Paige, Harry and Cole flying toward a bare wall. Ron, or whatever he happened to be, lifted Janet into his arms. Paige cried out, "Janet!" and the other woman beamed out of her boyfriend's grasp and onto the living room sofa.

Ron glared at the trio and joined his companion in the doorway. Cole hurled two fireballs at the creatures. But they both leapt upward and out of view . . . before Cole's fire could inflict any damage.

END OF CHAPTER SEVEN 


	8. Chapter 8

BREATH OF THE UNDEAD by RFK

Chapter Eight

"How is she?" Olivia asked, as she peered over Harry's shoulder. Nearly a half-hour following the vampires' attack, Olivia appeared at Janet Hui's house.

Harry sat at one end of the living room sofa, as he held up the semi-conscious Janet by the shoulders. "Fine," he said. "And alive, thank goodness. I think that Ron or the other guy had stunned her." He attempted to convince his friend to drink a little tea.

"They were vampires," Cole explained. "Chiang shi."

Paige frowned. "You mean there are more than one of them?"

Olivia sighed. "It started out as one chiang shi. We believe that Ron became one, sometime last night. And the corpse that Harry found in the driveway this morning is a neighbor on this street named Jan Alamdar. He must have encountered Ron or the other vampire, last night. Or both."

"I'm surprised that he didn't become a . . . chiang shi," Paige commented.

"I'm not," Harry said. He finally managed to get Janet to take a sip of tea. "A chiang shi cannot turn his or her victim into another vampire."

Confusion whirled in Paige's eyes. "Then how did Ron become one?"

Before anyone else could answer, a low moan escaped from Janet's mouth. Her eyes fluttered momentarily before they flew wide open. "Oh my God!" she exclaimed. "Was that Ron?"

"Janet!" Harry helped her sit up. Olivia shot a quick glance at Paige, who seemed slightly perturbed by Harry's concern for the young attorney. "Are you okay?"

Janet took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah. I'm fine. I'm . . . Oh God! That was a chiang shi. Or two! I thought it was some myth that my grandmother used to talk about." She stared at Harry with apprehensive eyes. "And one of them was Ron!"

Harry sighed. "Yeah, I'm afraid so. Look Janet, I think you better stay somewhere else for a while. You don't want to take a chance on Ron . . . I mean . . ."

"I understand," Janet said, interrupting. "But that was Ron, right? Are you going to find him?" Her eyes swept from Harry to Olivia. "I mean, the idea of Ron existing as a vampire for the rest of his life . . ."

Surprise permeated Paige's voice. "Why do you think that Harry and Olivia can help track a . . ." She broke off, as apprehension dawned in her eyes. "Oh wow! You know, don't you? About them being witches." The moment she had uttered the last word, Paige clapped her hands over her mouth.

Harry added, "Janet has known since the last quarter of our sophomore year in college." He said to his friend, "And you need to stay somewhere else, until this is all over."

Janet sighed. "All right. I'll stay at your place. If it'll make you feel better. I just need to pack a few things."

At that moment, the doorbell rang. The five people inside the living room exchanged uneasy glances. "You don't think . . ." Paige began.

"Ron?" Janet's eyes lit up with fear and expectation. Again, the doorbell rang. "Should I answer it?"

Cole stepped forward. "I'll accompany you." He escorted Janet to the front door. A minute passed before the two attorneys returned, accompanied by two dark-suited men. Olivia recognized one of them as FBI Agent Lee Alvarez. 

"Well, well, well," Olivia commented, as she stepped forward to greet the new visitors. "The FBI." She held out one hand to a pale olive-skinned man with a crew cut. "Lee Alvarez. It's been a while."

Agent Alvarez shook Olivia's hand. "Inspector McNeill. What are you doing here?"

"For the same reason as you." Olivia glanced at the chestnut-haired man that stood next to Alvarez. "And your partner. Aren't you going to introduce us?"

Alvarez sighed. "This is Special Agent Jay Ruhl. Jay, this is Inspector Olivia McNeill of the San Francisco Police."

"Actually, my name is Turner now." Olivia smiled curtly. "I just recently got married. Or didn't you see the ring on my finger?"

A cool smile touched Alvarez's lips. "Congratulations. Who's the lucky guy?"

"He's standing to your left." Olivia regarded Alvarez's startled glance at Cole with amusement. "Gentlemen, my husband - Cole Turner."

Janet added, "Mr. Turner is my colleague and I'm Janet Hui. What does the FBI want with me? Do you guys have any news of Ron?" Olivia could not help but admire Janet's ability to maintain a cool façade toward the agents - despite her current anxiety.

Alvarez blinked several times. "Actually Miss Hui, we're here to talk to you. Do you have any idea why Mr. Wong would disappear?"

"Of course not!" Janet retorted. "That's why I had called the police in the first place!"

"When was the last time you saw him?" Agent Ruhl asked.

For a brief second, Olivia wondered if Janet's tongue would slip, regarding the chiang shi. But those years of college with Harry, along with legal experience, had trained the younger woman to be discreet . . . and lie smoothly. Janet heaved a dramatic sigh. "Around seven-forty, yesterday morning. When he didn't return home, I thought he had stayed at the office for a few extra hours. So, I fell asleep on the couch. But when I woke up this morning, he still had not returned home."

"So, she called me." Harry stepped forward. "I'm Olivia's brother, Harry McNeill."

Alvarez asked, "Why did Ms. Hui called you?"

"Because we're old college friends," Harry explained. "And Olivia is my sister. I had found a body in the driveway and called her."

Olivia smiled at the two FBI agents. "I'm sure that the San Francisco Police had provided you with information on the body discovered this morning."

Alvarez turned to Janet. "What does Mr. Alamdar have to do with you and Mr. Wong, Miss Hui?"

"How in the hell would I know?" Janet retorted. "He was just some neighbor who lived the block. He'd once complimented our front lawn."

Paige asked, "Why are the FBI interested in Ron's disappearance?"

Slowly, the two agents stared at the Charmed One. She squirmed uncomfortably under their gaze. "And who are you?" Agent Ruhl coolly asked.

Wariness flickered in Paige's dark eyes. "The name's Paige Matthews. I'm a friend of Harry's. And Janet's."

"Well, Miss Matthews," Ruhl continued, "Mr. Wong happens to be an attorney for the Department of Justice. He is . . . or was part of the prosecution team for a very important case. Naturally, the FBI would be interested in his disappearance." 

Alvarez turned to Janet. "Ms. Hui, if you have any more information regarding Mr. Wong," the agent handed her a card, "please give me a call." The two agents gave Olivia a nod before heading toward the front door.

Once everyone heard the front door close shut, Cole heaved a sigh. "Those two are going to a problem."

-------------

Scott guided his blue Nissan Altima into a small parking lot, off Kearny Street. Nearby, pedestrians and vehicles flowed along the Chinatown thoroughfare. Piper frowned at the three-story building that rose next to the parking lot. "What is this place?" she asked.

"Master Chan's store," Scott answered. Both he and Piper climbed out of his car. "He owns a herbal shop, like Barbara. Also, he acts as a kind of healer for the locals. You see, Taoist priests usually live amongst those he serve."

The pair left the parking lot and made their way, inside the building. The shop's cluttered interior featured large drawers and shelves filled with herbal products of all kinds. A beaded curtain divided the front store and the shop's private office. Scott led Piper toward a narrow staircase, which took them to the second floor. The aroma of food cooking filled Piper's nostrils. "Master Chan must be cooking dinner right about now," Scott added.

Piper sighed. "When you say Master Chan, you mean Mr. McNeill's friend?"

Scott knocked on one of the second-floor doors. "Yep. According to Olivia, they first met each other at Stanford, during the 60s."

Seconds passed before the door opened. A middle-aged man in casual dress peered out. Piper immediately recognized Mr. Chan, who frowned at the couple. "Jian Lei. What are you doing here? Miss Halliwell?"

Scott bowed. "Master Chan. Uh, do you mind if we interrupt your dinner? We have a matter to discuss. Supernatural matter."

Master Chan opened the door wide. "Come in." Piper and Scott followed the Taoist priest inside a wide room. Aside from a few pieces of furniture scattered about, Piper noticed a circular table with food and a teapot placed on it. The dinner's aroma struck Piper stronger than ever and her stomach growled in protest. The priest led them to a table. "Would you like something to eat? I have plenty of Beef and Peppers with Black Bean Sauce. How about some tea?"

"Tea would be nice," Scott replied. 

Again, Piper's stomach growled. Ignoring her hunger, she decided to follow Scott's example. "Yes, tea," she said with a wan smile.

The couple eased into empty chairs around the table. Master Chan followed suit, before serving tea to his visitors. "Now, what can I help you with?"

Scott cleared his throat. "I guess that you've heard the news . . . or not. But there's a chance that a vampire - a chiang shi - might have been responsible for two or three deaths in the past few days."

A gust of breath left Master Chan's mouth. "I see," he said with a nod. "It's been a while, since I've last encountered a chiang shi." He shook his head in a regrettable manner. "Nasty business, the chiang shi. Are you sure?"

Piper spoke up. "I just received a call from my sister, Paige. She, Harry and Cole had encountered one, earlier this evening. I mean, two of them. Unfortunately, they both got away. But, no one was killed."

"Hmmph." The Taoist priest took a sip of tea. "Killing a chiang shi won't be easy. But two of them?" He shook his head and sighed. "This won't be easy for any of us, Jian Lei."

With a shrug of her shoulders, Piper asked, "Why not? Paige once told me that holy water and a cross won't kill a . . . uh, chiang shi. What about sunlight or fire? Or a wooden stake?"

"Your sister was right about holy water and Christian crosses," Master Chan stated. "But the other methods will kill a chiang shi. Along with a few other methods." He turned to Scott. "Exactly what do you know about the chiang shi?"

Scott took a sip of his tea, while Piper's stomach rumbled for the second time. "Well . . . a chiang shi is also called 'the Hopping Ghost'. Only, it's not really a ghost, but a demon. One becomes a chiang shi, following a violent death, being cursed, dying in the wrong spot. Moonlight cast upon a dead body will also cause it to become a chiang shi. Since a chiang shi isn't known for rising from a grave like a European vampire, the transformation usually takes place before burial. A chiang shi usually kills its victims by sucking out the latter's breath, instead of their blood. Or its halitosis . . ."

"Huh?" Piper demanded.

"Bad breath," Scott explained. "It's bad breath can kill a person. A chiang shi will either go after members of its family or a loved one first. Like Ronald Wong did with Janet Hui. And it usually has green hair, a green tinge on its skin, red eyes, and claw-like fingernails."

Master Chan added, "You forgot to add that a chiang shi can shapeshift. It can also fly or hop. In fact, its nickname is 'the Hopping Ghost', because it hops instead of walks. It's also blind, which means that it can track a potential victim using his or her breath. Now, if a wooden stake, sunlight, or fire won't kill it, there are other methods."

Piper frowned. "Which are?"

"Decapitation, feng shui mirrors, purity rice, straw and chicken blood. Or a death blessing," the Taoist priest promptly replied. "A death blessing can only be done by a Taoist or Buddhist priest. I would need to write a death blessing on a piece of paper and stick on the chiang shi's head."

With a snort, Piper murmured sardonically, "Good luck with that one. I think I'd rather stick with the stakes and fire."

Master Chan quickly added, "Anything other than a death blessing should be a last resort. We would want to release the host body's original spirit so that the body can be buried properly. For the family and other loved ones."

A perturbed Scott frowned. "You're talking about Janet Hui and Ronald Wong's family, right?"

"Yes."

Piper said, "You said something about purity rice?"

The Taoist priest nodded. "As a distraction. Scattered grains of rice will distract a chiang shi, causing him to stop to count the grains." Piper stared at him. "Please don't ask me why. I think it's something symbolic that's beyond my comprehension. So, please don't ask."

"Maybe we can use the rice to distract the vampires," Scott suggested. "You know, distract it before you can use a death blessing on them."

Piper spoke up. "Why don't I just freeze them?"

The two men stared at each other. "Sounds good to me," Scott said.

Master Chan began, "By the way, about the chiang shi's halitosis . . ."

"That it can kill?" Piper added. "Yeah, I remembered that."

The Taoist priest said, "His halitosis can also paralyze or send a person across the room. We need to be careful."

A sigh left Piper's mouth. "Great," she muttered. "The vampire queen that Cole had killed is looking a whole lot better."

"Oh, you mean Alaria?" Both Piper and Scott stared at the middle-aged priest. "Yes, I have heard of her before. Although, why she considered it necessary to call herself 'Queen of the Vampires' is beyond me." Piper's stomach grumbled once more, drawing surreptious stares from both Scott and Master Chan. "Miss Halliwell," the latter said in a polite voice, "pardon my rudeness, but are you sure that you're not hungry? I would be more than happy to serve you some of my dinner."

Although embarrassed by what had just happened, Piper realized that she could no longer dismiss her hunger. "I guess a little meal wouldn't hurt." She flashed a wan smile, as the Taoist priest stood up to retrieve more plates.

---------

The cell phone on Prax's desk rang. The daemon ignored it and maintained his attention on the portfolio of a company that had attracted the attention of the Magan Corporation. The phone rang three more times before Prax heaved an exasperated sigh and picked up the cell phone. "Yes?" he responded acidly.

"This is Larson," a man's voice answered.

Prax simply demanded, "Is Wong dead?"

A pause followed before the warlock replied, "He's . . . dead. In a way. I had stabbed him to death, last night."

A deep suspicion formed in Prax's mind. "What do you mean 'in a way'? Are you playing games with me, Mr. Larson? Where is Mr. Wong?"

The warlock's next words took Prax by surprise. "I believe that he is now a daemon. Or a vampire. I think that some demonic entity has taken over Wong's body."

For a moment, Prax wondered if Larson liked to play games with his employers. If so, the daemon would have the warlock killed and replaced with another assassin. "Mr. Larson," Prax said in a deadly, "I am not someone you can trifle with. If you had failed to kill Mr. Wong, simply say . . ."

"I am not joking!" The warlock's voice rang with deadly seriousness. "Look, I had killed Wong. Gutted his stomach with my own dagger. I saw him die." A pause followed, as Prax overheard Larson take a deep breath. "And I had left Wong's body in the driveway, so he could be found. But when he failed to be reported dead . . . I went back to his house. Earlier tonight. I saw him . . . in some Chinese robe. He looked different. And he was with another daemon. Both of them leapt . . . or flew away. High into the air."

At that moment, Prax decided that the gods and spirits did not like him. Artemus had ordered him to coordinate the simple murder of a mortal. An act that should have been no problem. Unfortunately, the target - at least according to his hired assassin - had transformed into some kind of daemon. A daemon that flies. Without Ronald Wong's body, Lloyd would never be able to convince William Bourgh to cooperate with the Magan Corporation.

Prax sighed. Long and hard. "Mr. Larson, whatever entity that has entered Wong's body, you will have to get rid of it. And leave the host body intact."

"Me?" Larson protested. "Why don't you simply hire some daemon to . . ."

"Mr. Wong was your assignment, Mr. Larson," Prax reminded the warlock in a hard voice. "He is 'still' your assignment. We've already paid you half of your fee. You're a talented magic practitioner. At least according to your reputation. I'm sure that you can find a way to finish the job."

Before the warlock could protest any further, Prax hung up. He decided to give Larson two days to deal with the Ronald Wong problem. If the warlock fails, well he would have to deal with the matter, himself.

-----------

Inside the Turners' bedroom, Cole laid stretched across the right side of the four-poster bed. He watched his wife, perched on a low stool in front of the dresser mirror, rub skin cream from her face. "Was that Scott who had called earlier?" he asked.

Olivia dipped one hand into the jar of cream. She began to rub the cream on her left arm. "Yep. Apparently, he and Piper had paid Master Chan a visit. To learn more about the chiang shi." She turned to face Cole. "It looks as if Master Chan is going to help us. But considering that we're dealing with a Chinese vampire, we're going to need him." She then applied cream on her right arm.

Cole said, "Tarkin and I didn't use a Taoist priest, when we had encountered that chiang shi, back in the Fifties. We used good, old-fashioned fire. Of course, keeping him to stand still became rather difficult." He paused, while Olivia wiped the last of the cream from her arms. "I would be more than happy to help you apply more cream to your body," he said with a slight leer.

Slowly, Olivia turned around and smiled at her husband. "Thanks, but I only use this cream for my face and arms."

"Oh. Too bad." Cole watched Olivia screw the top back on the jar of cream. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't one become a chiang shi after suffering a violent death? If this is true, then it means . . ."

Olivia stood up and strode toward the bed. She sat on the edge, next to Cole. "It means that Ron may have suffered from some kind of violent death."

"Or perhaps he was murdered," Cole suggested. "And certainly not by that other Chinese vampire."

Olivia sighed. "Oh God. That means we might have to deal with the Feds. We really don't need them breathing down our necks."

Cole murmured, "Don't worry. I'll deal with them, if they cause any trouble." He stretched out one hand and a bottle of lotion zipped toward him. He shook the bottle. "Is this only good for the face and arms?"

Green eyes widened in surprise, until they shone with realization. "Well . . ." Olivia slid closer toward Cole. A seductive smile curved her mouth. "Why don't we find out?" Cole wrapped his arm around her waist and drew her closer to him.

------------

Dean Corbin stepped out of the elevator. He strode across the parking structure's fifth floor, toward his car. A sigh of relief escaped from his mouth. His client, one Curt Becker, had received a reprieve thanks to the disappearance of one of the Federal prosecutors.

Corbin realized that John Reyes would eventually find someone to replace the missing Ronald Wong. But until that happened, Corbin would have plenty of time to overlook his case for Becker. Yesterday's testimony by Antonio Valez had been costly. The defense attorney needed to find a way to . . .

He stopped in his tracks. For a moment, Corbin thought he had overheard a sound. Possibly heavy breathing. The attorney whirled around and scanned the parking lot. Not a soul could be seen. Deciding that his mind might be playing tricks on him, Corbin resumed his trek to his car.

The moment he reached his car, the attorney felt a gust of cold wind from behind. Once again, Corbin turned around. The sight of a figure in a red-and-gold Chinese silk robe flying toward him took the attorney by surprise. He opened his mouth and let out a final scream before sharp claws dug into his chest.

END OF CHAPTER EIGHT 


	9. Chapter 9

BREATH OF THE UNDEAD by RFK

Chapter Nine

Darryl leaned back into his chair and sighed. "Murdered. Cole thinks that Ronald Wong may have been murdered before becoming a vampire? By someone else?"

"That's right." Olivia sat down in one of the empty chairs next to her partner's desk.

Shaking his head in confusion, Darryl remarked, "I don't get it. Didn't you and Scott say that a Chinese vampire can't turn his victim into another vampire?"

Olivia sighed. "European vampires can turn their victims into vampires through a blood transfusion. It's different for Chinese vampires. They can't. A chiang shi is created in other ways. If a person suffers from a violent and sudden death, lack of proper burial or a curse, he or she will become a chiang shi. Ron Wong was in good health right before his . . . death. He didn't die from an accident. His car was found in his driveway. So, Cole and I came to the conclusion that he may have been murdered. By someone other than a vampire."

Another sigh left Darryl's mouth. "Well, that's just great. That means that we'll definitely have the FBI breathing down our necks."

"Yeah, I heard that he was part of the Department of Justice's prosecutors for the Curt Decker case." Olivia paused. "I guess you know whom Curt Decker's father is - Maxmillian Decker of Decker Enterprises. The family owns the Lange Vineyards not far from the Giovanni Vineyards, near Oakville."

Darryl nodded. "Yeah, and I also know why Curt Decker is on trial. He's facing charges drug manufacturing and trafficking. The Feds believe that he had a small operation on his daddy's ranch. Mr. Decker might be involved, as well."

A thought occurred to Olivia. "If Ronald Wong had been murdered, is it possible that someone in connection to the Decker case had him killed? Of course . . ." she paused, ". . . I don't see how. I mean, Ron wasn't the primary prosecutor. Right?"

"John Reyes is," Darryl answered. "Wong was merely a . . ." He broke off, as a grim-faced Scott appeared in the doorway. "Guess what? Another body has been found. In the parking garage near the Monadnock Building." He paused dramatically. "Same M.O. as Jai, Remar and Alamdar."

Both Olivia and Darryl rose to their feet. The latter grabbed his overcoat. "Look, Scott, Carlotta and I will check this new body," he said to Olivia. "I want you and Marcus to look into Ronald Wong's disappearance. Maybe one of the neighbors saw something."

"Sure thing," Olivia replied with a nod, as she followed Darryl out of his office.

----------

Clutching his backpack, Alonzo slowly walked out of Stanford University's Green Library and nearly collided with a man and a woman dressed in dark suits. He flashed a brief frown at the pair and stepped aside to continue his trek. To his surprise, the pair again blocked his path. Only this time, they did it deliberately.

"Excuse me," the young student retorted. "Do you mind?" He tried to continue walking, but the pair refused to step out of the way. "What the hell?"

The woman, a light-brown haired woman in her late thirties flashed a badge. "Pardon me, Mr. Giovanni. I'm Special Agent Alicia Black of the FBI. This is Special Agent Roger Hamill. We need to talk to you about the Curt Decker case."

Panic struck within Alonzo's chest. For several seconds, he wondered if the FBI had discovered his investment into Curt's little operation . . . like the mysterious caller, who has been blackmailing him. Projecting a coolness he did not feel, Curt sardonically replied, "Sorry, but I don't follow the news that closely."

"That's odd," Agent Hamill commented. His dark eyes bored into Alonzo's. "Considering that Curt Decker happens to be a close friend of yours."

Coolly, Alonzo shot back, "Not anymore. I don't hang around with drug dealers. Now, if you'll excuse me." But the Federal agents refused to move. "Look, if you don't let me go, I'll call my attorney and sue your ass for harassment!"

"Mr. Giovanni, we would simply like to ask you a few questions," Agent Black merely said.

Alonzo struggled to maintain his temper and not panic at the same time. "Look, I don't know anything!"

Agent Hamill shot back, "I suppose that you don't know anything about Decker's attorney, Dean Corbin?"

"What about him?"

The two agents exchanged wary glances before the female agent answered, "His body was found near his car, earlier this morning." Alonzo stared at Agent Hamill in shock. "Are you able to answer a few questions, now?"

---------

Around the same time, a pale-looking Janet Hui entered Cole's office, carrying two thick accordion files. "I'm sorry that I took so long, Mr. Turner. I was in Mr. Kline's office." She paused before taking a deep breath. "He, uh . . . it was about Ron. I guess that word had got around."

Cole nodded. "I understand. You can put the files on my desk." Janet did as he had suggested. The half-daemon continued, "Right now, I have a few matters to clear up before I can begin on the Macmillan case. However, I would like you to set up appointment for the both of us to see her, tomorrow." He paused, as he glanced at Janet with concern. "Are you up to it?"

"Yeah. Sure." Janet flashed a wan smile. "I think I need work to get my mind off . . ." She let out a gust of breath. Her eyes flickered momentarily. "To get my mind off Ron." Shaking her head, she added, "I just can't believe that he's a vampire." She frowned at Cole. "And you . . . are you a . . . witch? Like Harry and his family?"

Cole contemplated an answer to the question and wondered how Janet would react to the truth. "Uh, no. No, I'm not. However . . . I do know magic. Some would call me a sorcerer, instead of a witch, since I'm not an initiated priest."

A hint of unease gleamed in Janet's dark eyes. "So, you know all about magic? Do you . . .?"

". . . use magic to win cases?" Cole finished, fully anticipating the junior associate's question. His face grew hard. No, I don't. If I did, I would have never lost the Fujikowa case."

Repentance softened Janet's expression. "Sorry. I should have remembered about Harry. I had once asked him the same question about his dad's business. He nearly bit off my head."

"It's okay. I can understand why you would ask." Cole reached for one of the accordion files. One of his telephone lines buzzed. He answered it. "Yes?"

His legal assistant replied, "I'm sorry to interrupt you, Mr. Turner. Alonzo Giovanni is on Line Three."

It took a great effort on Cole's part not to heave a loud sigh. "Exactly what does he want to speak to me about?" As if he did not know.

A pause followed before Eleanor answered, "Uh . . . he said that it was a private matter."

"Well, tell Mr. Giovanni that I'll talk to him, later. I'm in the middle of an . . ." He flashed a knowing smile at Janet. ". . . important meeting with another client."

Eleanor mumbled, "Yes, Mr. Turner." And the telephone line went dead.

Janet frowned. "Was that Mark Giovanni's son?"

With a contemptuous roll of his eyes, Cole answered, "Unfortunately . . . yes. He probably wanted my help in maintaining a bad habit of his - spending too much money."

"It's funny," Janet continued, with a shake of her head. "Ron had suggested to Reyes that they should subpoena Alonzo Giovanni, for the Curt Decker trial."

Her words took Cole by surprise. "Wait a minute. Ron? You mean your . . . uh, boyfriend? The one who's missing? He's involved in the Curt Decker trial?"

Janet nodded. "He was . . . is one of the prosecutors. So you know that that your client's son . . ."

". . . Alonzo was friends with Curt Decker?" Cole nodded. "Yes, I do. I had to accompany that little sh. . . Giovanni's son to the local FBI office, last October. John Reyes wanted to question him about Decker."

Janet asked, "Do you think that Alonzo Giovanni knew about Decker's drug operation?"

"Who knows?" Cole replied with a shrug. "He seemed surprised about Decker's arrest and the charges. But if your friend is . . . dead, there is a possibility that the Decker case might be the reason." Janet stared at him with wide eyes. "Just a thought."

---------

Inside the semi-lit parking structure, the three police officers watched the paramedics load the dead body upon a gurney. Just as the two medics prepared to wheel the body toward a van marked CORONER, voices echoed throughout the lot. Darryl glanced up and saw two men rush toward the body.

"Wait! Wait a minute!" cried one man. Darryl recognized him as FBI Special Agent Lee Alvarez. The other man, he decided, must be Alvarez's partner, Jay Ruhl.

His hands tucked inside his coat pockets, Darryl asked in a nonchalant manner, "May I help you fellas?"

"We'd like to see that body," Alvarez replied in a hard voice. "Now."

Sneering, Scott retorted, "Why should we bother? I have a feeling that you guys already know who's underneath the sheet."

Ruhl fixed Scott with a challenging stare. "We don't have time to deal with local cops who are out of their depths. I suggest you stand back and let us handle this."

"We will 'all' handle this," Darryl firmly added.

Alvarez took a deep breath. "Look Morris, I'm sorry but this is now a Federal case. Especially since we believe that this victim might be Dean Corbin, the defense attorney in the Curt Decker case. Which happens to be Federal."

Darryl nodded. "You're right. The victim has been identified as Dean Corbin. However, we believe that his death may be linked to the body found in Ronald Wong's driveway." He paused dramatically. "Along with two other bodies found earlier this week. All four deaths have the same M.O."

"In that case, we'll handle this case," Alvarez coolly replied. "So, if you and your detectives will just . . ."

"Not so fast," Darryl insisted. The two Federal agents bridled with impatience. "Whomever is responsible for Dean Corbin's death and the body in Ronald Wong's driveway, is also responsible for the deaths of Kenneth Jai and Bernard Remar. Are those two connected in any way with the Decker case?" When the two FBI agents failed to answer his question, Darryl continued, "I see. So, either we work together on this case or we'll conduct our own investigation. Whether you like it or not."

While Ruhl began to grind his teeth, Alvarez heaved a large sigh. "Fine. We work together. But if we do find out that Jai and Remar are connected to the Decker case, we will assume full jurisdiction over this case."

"Fine," Darryl replied with a nonchalant shrug.

The two agents responded with curt nods and walked away. As the three police officers watched their retreating figures, Carlotta said, "I noticed that you didn't mention anything about Olivia and Marcus digging further into Ronald Wong's disappearance."

Darryl allowed himself a brief smile. "Must have slipped my mind." Then he turned on his heels, leaving behind two gaping subordinates.

-----------

Olivia handed a sheet of paper to her colleague. "Here. This is a list of four addresses on this street."

"Four?" Marcus stared at the sheet of paper in his hand.

"We had tried to interview as many neighbors as we could when Ron Wong was reported missing," Olivia continued. "But eight of them weren't home at the time. Maybe we'll have better luck, this afternoon." Both she and Marcus climbed out of the car parked on Tenth Avenue. "Good luck."

Ignoring Marcus' grumbling, Olivia walked across the street. She approached a two-story, gray clapboard house and knocked on its front door. Nearly a minute later, the door swung open. A tall, elderly woman with steely gray eyes stared at her. "Good day, Mrs. . .?"

"Who are you?" the elderly woman demanded sharply.

Olivia flashed her police badge. "Inspector Olivia Turner, San Francisco Police. I'm investigating the disappearance of one of your neighbors - Ronald Wong. He lives across . . ."

"I know him," the woman curtly interrupted. "The young Chinese man, in the dark green house, across the street. He lives with his girlfriend." Her eyes narrowed. "He's disappeared, you say?"

Smiling politely, Olivia replied, "Yes, Mrs. . .?"

"Mrs. Jamelia Kolchek," the woman finished. She relaxed slightly. "I heard that a body had been found in his driveway."

Olivia nodded. "That's right. A Mr. Jan Alamdar. He also lives on this street."

"Maybe Mr. Wong had killed Mr. Alamdar and disappeared," Mrs. Kolchek suggested. "Ran off with another woman." She gave Olivia a cool stare. "But you don't think that, do you?"

After a brief hesitation, Olivia decided to be discreet. "I suppose that's possible," she said. "However, Mr. Wong's car is still in the driveway. I guess I can't see him leaving his car behind after killing Mr. Alamdar or running away with another woman."

Mrs. Kolchek shrugged her shoulders. "I guess you have a point. Mr. Kolchek didn't leave his car behind when he left me." She sighed loudly.

Feeling slightly embarrassed, Olivia immediately changed the subject. "Speaking of Mr. Wong, did you see him on the day before yesterday?"

"No, I didn't," Mrs. Kolchek primly replied. "But then I'm not nosy like some people." She sniffed.

O-kay. "So, you have a nosy neighbor on this street?"

Mrs. Kolchek sniffed again. "Well . . . I don't like to speak ill of anyone, but . . ." She paused dramatically. "I think that Mr. Shea is something of a Peeping Tom . . . if you know what I mean."

Olivia frowned, as she checked her list of addresses. "Mr. Shea? Where does he live?"

"At 6015," Mrs. Kolchek answered. "Two houses to my left. And his name is Thomas Shea."

"Thomas Shea." Olivia gave the older woman a quick nod. "Thank you for your time, Mrs. Kolchek."

The elderly woman sniffed one last time. "Glad to help. I hope that you find Mr. Wong."

Olivia smiled and turned away from the woman. Next stop . . . the home of Thomas Shea. She rang the doorbell of a two-story tan Victorian manor. After three rings, the front door finally opened. Olivia found herself facing a pale, balding man in his mid-fifties of medium height and protruding pale blue eyes that regarded her with barely concealed lust. "Thomas Shea? I'm Inspector Turner of the San Francisco P.D."

A sheen of sweat broke across Mr. Shea's large forehead. The lust in his eyes disappeared. "The police? Oh! Uh . . ." His eyes shifted nervously. "Um, did someone call about . . ."

"I'm investigating the disappearance of one of your neighbors - Ronald Wong," Olivia explained. "He lives across the street at 6012."

Mr. Shea's rounded shoulders sagged with relief. "Oh yes! Mr. Wong. When I heard about his disappearance, I meant to call the police."

"Oh?" Olivia wondered if she had hit pay dirt. "Why?"

After clearing his throat, Mr. Shea continued, "I didn't exactly see what happened to Mr. Wong, you understand. It was at night. But I recall seeing a strange car parked near his home. A silver Lexus. It had been parked there for nearly forty minutes. Then I saw Mr. Wong's car pull into his driveway. A blond man climb out of the Lexus and approach him." He paused.

Olivia frowned. "What happened next?"

Mr. Shea took a deep breath. "Uh, the phone rang. It . . . it was my brother, Ritchie. Our aunt, who lives in San Jose, had a stroke. When I returned to the window, I saw the Lexus drive away."

"Why didn't you tell the police about this?" Olivia demanded.

"My aunt. I had just returned from San Jose only a few hours ago."

Olivia scribbled the last of Mr. Shea's information on a notebook. "By the way, Mr. Shea . . . did you notice anything unusual about the Lexus or the blond man?"

Mr. Shea squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. "Well . . . he was rather tall. The blond man. About at least six-feet one. And I saw just a little of his license plate as he drove away."

A suspicious thought entered Olivia's mind. "You saw all this at night? You must have x-ray vision."

Looking slightly embarrassed, Mr. Shea murmured, "Um, more like infra-red binoculars. I had ordered a pair from this . . ."

Olivia held up one hand, interrupting the man. "Please, Mr. Shea. Let's not go there." She sighed. "You said that you had seen part of the license plate?"

"Yes," the older man said with a nod. "Um . . ." He closed his eyes again. Then . . . "I got it. Six-seven-two." He opened his eyes. "That's all I saw."

After scribbling the information on her notepad, Olivia replied, "Thank you, Mr. Shea. You've been very helpful."

"Of course."

Olivia paused, as she turned to walk away. "Oh, one last thing, Mr. Shea." She gave him a piercing stare. "I suggest that you consider using those binoculars of yours for less private matters. Like bird watching. Understand?"

Mr. Shea's face became deathly white. "Ye-yes, of course. Of course. Thank you. For the suggestion."

The redhead shot one last smile at the man and walked away. She caught up with her colleague, as he was about to approach another house. "Hey Marcus! How is it going?"

With a sigh, Marcus replied, "Difficult. I had a close encounter with a forty-something widow, who wanted to do more than just talk." Olivia held back a snicker. "However, one neighbor did see a silver Nexus parked in front of Miss Hui and Mr. Wong's house that night."

"I did better. A Mr. Thomas Shea had not only seen the silver Nexus, he saw the man who drove it, approach Ronald Wong. And he saw part of the car's license plate."

Marcus looked dubious. "He saw all of that at night?"

Olivia paused dramatically. "With infra-red binoculars. I'll give you three guesses on what he used them for." Judging from the way Marcus' jaw had dropped and the look of disgust in his eyes, it seemed quite apparent to Olivia that it had only taken him one guess.

END OF CHAPTER NINE 


	10. Chapter 10

BREATH OF THE UNDEAD by RFK

Chapter Ten

Agitated voices from outside his office caused Cole to glance up from the bulging file on his desk. One of the voices belonged to his assistant, who cried out, "I'm sorry, Mr. Giovanni, but just can't . . ."

The door burst open, revealing a very desperate looking Alonzo Giovanni. "Turner! I need to speak to you. Now! It's about money."

"Mr. Giovanni, please! You just can't barge in here without an appointment!" Eleanor glared at the young man.

Alonzo rolled his eyes and coolly retorted, "I can do anything I damn well please. Mr. Turner . . . works for my father. My family."

Annoyed by the young man's arrogance, Cole glared at him. "That's okay, Eleanor," he reassured his assistant. "I'll deal with Mr. Giovanni. Thanks." After Eleanor left, Cole leaned back into his chair and regarded his client's son with chilly eyes. "What do you want, Alonzo?"

"It's Mr. Giova . . ." Alonzo broke off, as he wilted under Cole's withering stare. "I'd like . . . I mean . . ."

"You had said something about money."

Alonzo's face turned red. "Not much. Just a small amount from . . ."

". . . from your trust fund," Cole finished. "Yes, I know." He leaned forward. "We've had this conversation before, Alonzo. Until you reach the age of twenty-five, you will receive a stipend from your trust fund every two weeks. Which means that payday doesn't arrive for you until next Monday."

An impatient sigh left Alonzo's mouth. "C'mon man! What's the big deal? I just need an extra five thousand to tide me over for the next few days."

"Five . . . thousand . . . dollars?" Cole stared at the blond young man with incredulous eyes. "Wha . . . You receive half that much every other Monday!"

Alonzo hesitated. "Look . . . it's an emergency. Okay? There's something I specifically ne . . . I mean want."

"Like what?" Cole demanded.

Shaking his head, Alonzo glared at Cole. "Never mind! This is a waste of my time!" He turned on his heels and marched toward the door. His hand on the doorknob, he turned to glare at Cole again. "I'll find my five thousand from somewhere else." He opened the door.

"Alonzo!" Cole cried out, but the young man left and slammed the door behind him.

Cole stared at the closed door. Something was wrong. Normally, he could care less about Alonzo Giovanni's spending habits or greedy nature. But the desperation in the young man's eyes and voice told the half-daemon that Alonzo had drifted into a sea of trouble. Trouble that probably cost five thousand dollars. Cole sighed in frustration. If only his telepathic abilities included reading minds, instead of simply manipulating them. Then he would know what really troubled his client's son.

----------

The tall, bearded man regarded Larson with confused eyes. "I'm . . . I'm sorry. I don't understand. What exactly do you want from me?"

The warlock sighed. "I need help in tracking down this . . . daemon."

Shaking his head, the other man said, "I'm an alchemist, Mr. Larson. What do you need me for? I'm certain that a divination spell would do the . . ."

"I've tried using divination." Which happened to be the truth. Larson had used various divination tools to track down Ronald Wong - water in a chalice, scrying and even tarot cards. When all had failed, it occurred to the warlock that he might be able to use Wong's blood on his dagger to point him in the right direction. This decision led him to a local alchemist - a human wizard named Herman Getz.

The alchemist sighed and took the dagger from Larson. "Okay. Let's see what I can do with this. I'll need my chalice. Come this way." Larson followed the wizard past a beaded curtain that led to another room, away from the latter's shop.

---------

Olivia guided her BMW to a parking space in front of a two-story clapboard house in San Mateo. The reddish-orange sun hung near the edge of the Santa Cruz Mountains - a sign of the approaching dusk. 

"This is it," she said to her companions. "Keir Larson's address. Of course, I don't see any silver Lexus in sight." Olivia glanced at her husband beside her. A frown darkened his usually handsome countenance. "Is there something wrong?" she asked. "You know this Larson?"

"Huh?" Cole finally snapped out of his reverie.

From the car's backseat, Darryl asked, "Something wrong, man? You look a little troubled."

Cole shook his head. "It's nothing. Just . . . trouble with a client." He paused. "Mark Giovanni's son, as a matter of fact. It's . . ." He hesitated. "It's a private matter."

Olivia climbed out of the car. "Well, it's show time, guys." Cole and Darryl also climbed out. The trio made their way toward the house's front door. Darryl knocked.

More than a minute passed before Darryl knocked again. It became apparent that Larson was not home. Olivia sighed. "Talk about a wasted trip," she grumbled.

"Maybe not," Cole replied. "I say that we take a look around for ourselves."

Darryl regarded the half-daemon with horror. "Are you crazy? We can't just break into this man's home without a warrant! Anything we find won't be considered admissible in a court of law. We haven't contact the San Mateo Police. And Olivia and I can lose our badges."

"If we find anything, you and Olivia can return with the San Mateo cops and a warrant. Just pretend that you haven't been here," Cole coolly explained.

Both Olivia and Darryl exchanged wary looks. The latter sighed and nodded warily. "Okay," he began. "We'll do . . ." Before Darryl could finish, Cole teleported all three of them inside the house.

Upon receiving information about the silver Lexus spotted outside Janet Hui's house, Olivia had done a background check on the car's owner. She discovered that Keir Larson owned a private security firm here in San Mateo. Judging from the house's tasteful, yet modern décor, Larson's business must be very profitable. Her eyes caught sight of a tall armoire made from pine.

"Not bad," Cole murmured. "Even if his taste is a little too Spartan for me."

Darryl added, "Very Scandinavian."

Olivia drifted out of the living-room and made her way along a narrow hallway. She soon came across a door on the left side, painted in red. A few twists of the doorknob proved the room to be locked. Using her telekinesis, she unfastened the lock and opened the door. Olivia found a light switch and flicked it on.

What greeted her eyes took the redhead by surprise. A wide cabinet sat against the far left wall. Jars of herbs and various liquids filled the shelves, along with knick-knacks and what seemed to be magical tools. Even a crystal ball rested upon the cabinet's lower left shelf. A small table stood against the room's right side. Upon it laid a map of the San Francisco area and a white pendulum for scrying. Olivia opened one of the cabinet drawers and found several knives - mainly daggers and stilettos - inside. She also found a double-edged ax. In the center of the room stood a table that obviously served as an altar for spells and magic ceremonies.

Both Cole and Darryl appeared in the doorway. "We found something very interesting," Darryl began. "In Larson's . . ." He paused and gaped at the sight before him. "What the hell?"

Cole also stared at the room in shock. "Who is this guy?" he demanded. "What is this guy?"

"Who knows?" Olivia replied grimly. "He's obviously a magic practitioner. And I find it odd that Ron Wong's alleged killer happens to be one." She finally glanced at the two men. "What did you find?"

Darryl held up sheaves of paper. "Receipts showing deposits made into a bank in the Cayman Islands. The last deposit had been for twenty-five thousand dollars - hours before Ronald Wong had disappeared."

"And I found this." Cole held up a business card. "Just a name and a phone number."

Olivia took the card and read, "James Bishop. No title and no company name. Interesting." An idea came to her. She whipped out her cell phone. "Let's give Mr. Bishop a call, shall we?" 

She dialed the telephone number from the car. Seconds passed before a recording voice echoed in her ear. "You have reached the voice mail for James Bishop. Please leave a name and telephone number and I will return your call."

Olivia snapped her cell phone shut. "I only reached a voice mail message. I have to tell you, Darry . . . I don't think that we have enough to pin Ron Wong's murder on this guy. Just the eyes of a Peeping Tom and these receipts. Which doesn't tell us much."

Cole added, "You should also take into account that magic might be behind Ron Wong's death. If this Larson is involved . . ." He sighed. "I just can't imagine who would want him dead."

"What I'd like to know is why Vampire Ron would go after . . ." She turned to Darryl. "What's his name? The guy who was killed last night?"

Darryl replied, "Dean Corbin. He was Curt Decker's defense attorney. You know, the millionaire's son who's standing trial for drug manufacturing."

"That's it!" Cole's exclamation drew stares from both Olivia and Darryl. "That must be it."

Her eyes still fixed upon her husband's face, Olivia demanded, "What are you talking about?"

"Curt Decker." Cole inhaled sharply. "Janet had told me that he was a close friend of Alonzo Giovanni's. And lately, that little sh . . . I mean, Alonzo has been asking me for extra money. He . . ." The half-daemon paused, realizing that he was about to break client confidentiality. "Never mind. Let's just say that . . ."

A frowning Olivia interrupted, "Wait a minute. Are you saying that Mark Giovanni's son may have been involved in Curt Decker's drug operation?"

Cole nodded. "Yeah."

"But what does that have to do with Ron Wong?"

Darryl added, "Well, he was one of the Federal prosecutors of the case."

"And Janet told me that Ron had wanted John Reyes to subpeana Alonzo," Cole said. "It seemed he had been investigating the money trail to Decker's operation. Alonzo may have been an investor. And if he was an investor that means that Decker had other investors."

Olivia now understood. "Investors who would want to make sure that Ron Wong and John Reyes never find out about them." She paused. "Wait a minute. If Keir Larson was a magic practitioner . . ."

Cole finished, ". . . then his employers - or Decker's investors - might be magically linked, as well. I think I should find out if there is any magical connection to the Decker family."

Darryl glanced at the receipts in his hands. "And we need to find Keir Larson. Find out who had hired him."

Olivia nodded. "Darryl and I will try to find Larson." She sighed. "Only I don't know where to start."

Cole's glance fell upon the map and scrying pendant. "Why don't you try scrying for him?" 

Both Olivia and Darryl stared at the map and pendant. "Good idea," Olivia said. "And I have the tools, right here."

"What about the vampires?" Darryl asked. "You know, Ron Wong and the other one."

Cole suggested, "Scott and Piper can find him. Along with Harry and Paige." He pecked Olivia's cheek. "I'll see you later." And he beamed out of the room.

Olivia walked over to the table that held the map. "Well, we best get this show on the road." She picked up the pendant. As the white crystal hovered over the map, she began to chant.

-----------

The white crystal's large tip finally settled upon a spot on the map spread across the table inside the Halliwell manor. "There," Piper declared. "Around Fillmore and Broadway, in the Marina District." She frowned. "Why does that area sound familiar?"

"The Diamond Club," Harry said. "It's one of the top nightclubs in the city."

Piper sighed. She recalled the time she had visited rival clubs to ascertain how she could save P3. The Diamond Club, a glittering nightspot with a Vegas motif, had quickly become very popular since its opening during the summer of '02. The place seemed to be especially popular with the young scions of the city's elite. Customers like Harry McNeill.

"Why would a Chinese vampire hang around a nightclub?" Paige asked.

Scott shrugged. "Probably looking for victims." He glanced at his watch. "It's nearly six-thirty and it's already dark. I suggest that we leave now."

"I'm going home," Janet insisted. "I don't think I can . . ." She broke off, as her voice began to waver.

Piper frowned. "Is that a good idea? What if Ron or the other vampire decide to come after you?"

Paige moved to stand next to Janet. "I'll stay with her. Until you guys return." A wide-eyed Piper stared at her sister. "What? I'm only doing it just in case Ron or that other vampire decides to return. Someone needs to be with Janet. All I need is a piece of wood. I might not be fast enough to stick it into his chest, but I can sure as hell orb it into either of them."

"I'm convinced." Master Chan nodded. "Let's go." He started toward the front door with Harry and Scott close at his heels.

Piper remained behind to give her sister one last questioning stare. And uneasy feeling struck her that Paige had used Janet as an excuse to stay out of any future fray. "Well," she began in a hesitant voice, "take care."

"Yeah. You too. See you later." A mirthless smile touched Paige's lips before she turned away. Piper sighed and followed the three men out of the house.

-----------

The large silver chalice stood on a podium, in the middle of a room filled with materials and tools for magic. The room was located behind Getz's store. "Wow!" Larson exclaimed. "That's one hell of a large chalice!"

"It had originally belonged to a Saxon Pagan priest named Eorpwald," Herman Getz replied. "An ancestor." He held up a silver pitcher of water. As he poured the water into the chalice, he chanted a few words in what Larson recognized as Old Saxon. "Put the dagger into the chalice, please," the alchemist added.

Larson did as he was told. Getz then poured more water into the chalice. Both men leaned over to observe the water's surface. Seconds passed before the water revealed a Eurasian man garbed in a red-and-gold Chinese robe. His face looked slightly green and his fingernails resembled claws. He soared to the rooftop of a building, in which bright lights illuminated the words - DIAMOND CLUB.

"What the hell is that?" the warlock murmured.

Getz coolly replied, "Your mortal is now a chiang shi." The image on the water's surface disappeared.

"A what?"

An audible sigh left the alchemist's mouth. "May I assume that you're not familiar with Chinese mythology?" he asked sarcastically.

Larson shot him a dark glare and retorted, "Do I look like I might be familiar with Chinese mythology?"

"Do I?"

The warlock's mouth formed a grim line. "Just what in the hell is a chiang shi?"

Getz replied, "A Chinese vampire. Or what is also known as 'The Hopping Ghost'." He went on to describe facts about the chiang shi, including ways to kill it."

Larson snorted with derision. "Well, a Buddhist priest is out of the question. Along with fire. I need the body intact to show to my client." The alchemist stared at him. "Don't ask."

With a shrug, Getz continued, "Perhaps you might want to consider decapitation. Once that happens, the chiang shi reverts back to the original host's body."

Recalling the speed and power of European vampires, Larson asked, "Exactly how am I going to slow him down long enough to kill him?"

"Rice," the alchemist replied without blinking an eye. "Remember what I had told you about the rice." He turned his back on the warlock and removed the dagger before emptying the chalice. Then he filled the latter with more water.

Larson cleared his throat. "By the way, how much do I owe you? Was it fifty dollars for . . ."

Getz interrupted. "You better make that seventy-five."

"What for?" Larson stared at the alchemist, whose attention seemed to be focused upon the chalice.

"For the sword I'll be giving you to kill the vampire."

Suspicion niggled in the back of the warlock's mind. "Why do I need a sword from you? I plan to use mine from home."

The alchemist's dark and piercing eyes bored into the younger man's. "I wouldn't return home if I were you. Take a look."

Larson stood before the large chalice and glanced down. The water's surface reflected two men and one woman entering his house . . . and discovering his private room. "Who in the hell are they?" he demanded. "And how . . . ?"

"I have no idea," Getz said with a shrug of his shoulders. "But something tells me that they are looking for you. It might have something to do . . ." He broke off, as they watched the dark-haired man teleport from the room. "Well! This is interesting."

Larson exclaimed, "A teleporter? What the hell?"

Getz handed the sword over to the warlock. "Here. I suggest that you first take care of the vampire, before dealing with your visitors."

With a nod, Larson handed over seventy-five dollars to the alchemist. "Thanks for the sword." He shot one last uneasy glance at the chalice. "And the advice."

END OF CHAPTER TEN 


	11. Chapter 11

BREATH OF THE UNDEAD by RFK

Chapter Eleven

The four adults sat inside Piper's black SUV, which happened to be parked across the street from a three-story building. Neon lights in white flashed the words - THE DIAMOND CLUB above the building's third story windows.

"The chiang shi is here?" Piper asked, frowning at the building.

Scott corrected her. "You mean . . . are there. Don't forget there are now two of them to deal with. And you should know. You're the one who had pinpointed their location."

A sigh left Piper's mouth. "Don't remind me." Again, she peered at the building. "You know, I just can't see a Chinese vampire popping up at this place."

"I cannot see myself inside that place," Master Chan commented. "Perhaps one of the chiang shi is after someone in particular."

Disbelief rang in Harry's voice. "At the Diamond Club? Exactly whom would Ronald Wong be after?"

-------

Cole sat inside the waiting chambers of a daemon named Hazika. The chamber happened to be a loggia connected to a white, rectangular-shaped building located near the edge of a sandy, white beach in the Eshu Dimension. Cole had visited this particular dimension on at least three occasions, but he had always found its semi-tropical setting rather breath taking.

A brown-skinned female with piercing green eyes, an unusually long neck and close-cropped dark hair appear before the half-daemon. She wore a tight-fitting long dress that perfectly accentuated her svelte figure. "Belthazor?" she asked in a bell-like voice.

The half-daemon nodded. "Yes?"

"Hazika is sorry to keep you waiting." The woman smiled, revealing faint ridges on the bridge of her nose. "She is now ready for you." Cole stood up and followed the female daemon . "Hazika has been exceptionally busy, lately. With so many realms in an uproar, clients have been demanding her services." They entered the building and strolled along a narrow hallway. Finally, the assistant indicated a slightly opened door to her right. "You may enter."

Cole murmured, "Thank you," and entered the room. Rolls of parchment paper, books and other items filled the large bookshelf that stretched from one end of the east wall to the other. Opposite the bookshelf, a pair of French doors led to a veranda that overlooked the turquoise ocean beyond.

"Belthazor!" The husky voice came from a petite female with bronze skin, bright green eyes and short-cropped hair. She sat in a white wicker chair. Unlike the assistant, silver hair indicated the female's advancing years. But like her assistant, she possessed a ridged nose. "So, Belthazor, how long has it been?"

Cole bowed respectively before the female daemon. "Hazika. How are you?"

"Doing quite well, so far," Hazika replied. "Sit down." She indicated the wicker chair opposite her own. Cole sat down. "So . . . exactly how long has it been since we last saw each other? Seven years ago? Eight?"

With a faint smile, Cole answered, "Actually, it has been five years or less. I had requested information on a witch. A male witch."

"Oh yes. Now I remember." Hazika nodded. "I also seemed to recall creating a - what do the humans call it? A dossier. I had completed a dossier on the Charmed Ones. For you."

Smiling, Cole shook his head. "Actually, it was the Triad who had requested the dossier."

"But they had handed it over to you," Hazika continued. "Did they not?" She reached for a silver bell from a nearby table. "Would you care for a drink?"

"No thank you."

Hazika placed the bell on the table. "Now, to business. What information do you require this time?"

Cole heaved a small sigh. "I need to find out if a certain human or his family have any connections with any demonic faction."

Hazika placed her fingertips together, forming a small teepee. "Hmmm. How soon do you need this information?"

"As soon as possible," Cole replied.

Again, Hazika reached out toward the small table. She waved one hand and a pen and small pad of paper appeared. "Please write down the name of this human. Also, include age and area of origin."

Cole grabbed a pen and poised over the small tablet. Then he wrote the information down as requested:

Curt Decker - Age 23 Human - Non-Magical San Franciso, California Earth Dimension

Then he added:

Maximillian Decker - Age 50-55 Human - Non-Magical San Francisco, California Earth Dimension

He handed over the slip of paper to Hazika. The older daemon stood up. "This might take a while. Are you certain that you don't want that drink?"

Realizing that fulfilling his request might take Hazika longer than he had expected, Cole changed his mind. "On second thought," he said, "a Melorian brandy would be nice."

Hazika nodded, as she stood up. "I'll make sure that Damika will return with your drink. Excuse me." And she left the room, leaving Cole alone with the view and his thoughts.

--------

Inside the FBI Office on Golden Gate Avenue, Special Agent Lee Alvarez removed a slip of paper from a yellow in-office message envelope. The slip of paper revealed a conversation between Curt Decker and someone very surprising. He signaled his partner. "Hey Jay! Guess what I have in my hand?"

The other agent glanced up and frowned. "What?"

"It's from the listening post outside the Decker home," Alvarez continued. "Apparently, Curt Decker has decided to give his old buddy, Alonzo Giovanni a call. After nearly four months."

Excitement danced in Ruhl's eyes. "You think this has something to do with the drug operation?"

"I hope so," Alvarez replied. "I've always suspected that little bastard had been one of Decker's investors. It's too bad that Ron Wong is dead, because he had felt the same."

Ruhl asked, "What did Decker wanted?"

"A meeting between the two." Alvarez paused. "At some place called the Diamond Club."

A low whistle escaped from Ruhl's lips. "I don't know, Lee. I've heard of that place. Pretty exclusive."

Alvarez dismissed his partner's warning with a wave of his hand. "Who cares? This is a chance for us to prove a connection between Decker and Giovanni, other than mere friendship. Maybe we'll be able to find out if Giovanni knows if Decker had any other partners." He stood up and grabbed his jacket. "The meeting is going down in nearly forty minutes. Let's go." 

The two partners headed toward the door.

----------

Darryl pointed at the empty parking spot, located not far from his and Olivia's destination. "There's a spot," he said. "Park there." Olivia guided her green BMV into the parking spot. Once she switched off the engine, Darryl frowned at a two-story building. "Getz's Pharmacy. Are you sure that this is the place?"

"This is it," Olivia replied. "This is where the pendant told us where to find Larson."

"What in the hell would a demon or . . . whatever the hell Larson is . . . be doing here?"

Olivia shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. There's a good chance that Larson might want some kind of herb for a spell or potion. Or maybe this Getz is an alchemist." Darryl shot an anxious stare at her. "Or not," she revised.

The two partners climbed out of the car. A quick glance around informed Olivia that this particular street seemed nearly empty. They paused before the pharmacy's entrance. Darryl glanced at his watch. "At least it's still opened." He pointed at the sign, which indicated that the shop would close around eight o'clock. They entered the shop.

Nearly a minute passed before a tall man with gray, intense eyes and a Van Dyke beard approached the pair. "May I help you?" he asked in a deep voice. Upon close inspection, Olivia saw that the lines on his face and dark hair mixed with gray, indicated a man in his late forties or early fifties.

The two police officers displayed their badges. "San Francisco Police," Darryl announced. "I'm Lieutenant Morris. This is Inspector Turner. We're searching for a fugitive, who was last seen on this street. In fact, a witness has claimed seeing him entering your shop, not long ago."

"I'm sorry, but I do receive customers practically on an hourly basis," the pharmacist replied. "Who exactly would he . . .?"

Olivia handed over a copy of Larson's DMV photograph. "His name is Keir Larson, Mr. . . ?"

"Herman Getz." The name sparked a familiar note within Olivia's brain. Meanwhile, the pharmacist gazed at the photograph. "Ah yes! He looks familiar. I had sold him a bottle of chlorophyll."

"Chlorophyll?" Darryl's eyes narrowed. "Did Mr. Larson have a little problem with mitosis?"

A polite smile curved Getz's lips. "I suppose so. Mr. . . Larson? He seemed to know what he wanted. Anything else, Lieutenant?"

Darryl hesitated. "Well, as a matter of fact . . ." He glanced around the shop. "Don't you have an assistant? I've never heard of a pharmacist without one."

"I don't need an assistant. Although my business is pretty sound, this isn't exactly your local RITE-AID store." Getz's eyes bored into Darryl's. "Why are you interested in my shop, Lieutenant? Am I under some kind of suspicion?"

During the exchange between Darryl and Getz, Olivia had been trying to remember why the pharmacist's name seemed familiar. Now, she remembered. "Oh my God!" she burst out. "Of course! Herman Getz! You're a wizard who specializes in alchemy. And a whole lot of other stuff I don't want to get into. Which makes me wonder . . . why would a magic practitioner like Larson be interested in paying a visit to your . . ."

The fireball materialized above Getz's open palm before Olivia had a chance to blink. Darryl moved a lot faster, as he whipped out his revolver and shot Getz's hand. The ball of fire exploded and the wizard found his left hand missing. Getz cried out in pain. Then he raised his other arm and Olivia cried out:

"A ring of truth I cast on thee,  
Deceit and all confusion flee.  
Speak the truth, which must be told.  
Or with a lie, your life grows old."

A beam of violet light materialized and wrapped itself around the wizard's body. Olivia declared, "Either speak the truth! Now!"

"Stupid witch!" the wizard growled. "Do you honestly believe that your magic can bound me? Resolvo!" But the violet ring failed to dissipate. In fact, it remained tight around the alchemist's body. Panic filled Getz's eyes. "What's going on?"

Olivia glared at the wizard. "Simple. For every question you fail to answer truthfully or ignore, the ring will take away a drop of your life force. Now, why did Larson come to see you?"

Getz defiantly tilt his head upward. "None of your business!" he retorted. The ring tightened around his body and he cried out in pain for the second time.

"Why did Larson come here to see you?" Olivia repeated in a harsher voice. "What did he want?"

A groan escaped from Getz's mouth before he answered, "Chlorophyll tablets for his breath." Once again, the violet ring tightened. Then he added, "All right! All right! He needed my help to find someone."

"Someone?" Olivia and Darryl exchanged frowns. "Like who?"

Following another groan, Getz replied, "A daemon. A daemon who used to be a mortal. The mortal had become a vampire. A chiang shi. That's a Chi . . ."

"I know," Olivia coldly interrupted.

Darryl exclaimed, "He's looking for Ronald Wong?"

Getz took a deep breath and said, "I don't know his name. All I know is that he was a mortal before Larson had killed him. The man . . . turned into a chiang shi and Larson needs his body to claim a fee."

"Why did Larson need you to find this chiang shi?" Olivia asked. "He could have used divination."

"The usual divination methods didn't work," Getz answered. "Larson needed me to use the mortal's blood on his knife to track the vampire." The wizard began to wheeze. "Please! Let me go."

Olivia retorted, "One more question. Where can I find the chiang shi and Larson?"

Getz hesitated. The magical ring squeezed his body for the third time. "The Diamond Club!" he cried out in desperation. "Some place called the Diamond Club!"

"I've heard of that place," Darryl commented.

Olivia nodded. "Yeah, so have I." She turned to the wizard and declared, "Resolvo!" The violet ring immediately disappeared. Getz's body dropped to the floor with a thud. "I think we better get out of here," she said to Darryl.

The police lieutenant nodded at the fallen figure. "What about him?"

"He served his purpose," Olivia replied with a shrug.

The two partners started toward the front door. The moment Darryl placed his hand on the doorknob, Olivia felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise. She whirled around and saw that Getz now stood on his feet. Olivia gasped, as he flung a fireball toward her direction. Using her telekinesis, the redhead deflected the fireball, causing it to zoom right back at the wizard. The ball's flames engulfed him.

Darryl glanced at the spot where the alchemist once stood. "Why didn't you kill him earlier?" he demanded.

"Because he was down," Olivia replied. "Unconscious. I try not to kill someone whose not in a position to defend himself. I've got enough blood on my hands."

Shaking his head, Darryl opened the door and walked out of the shop. Olivia followed closely behind.

END OF CHAPTER ELEVEN 


	12. Chapter 12

BREATH OF THE UNDEAD by RFK

Chapter Twelve

Inside the Diamond Club, two young men in their early twenties sat in an isolated booth, furthest away from the dance floor. The pair was engaged in a conversation so intense that they seemed unaware of the numerous pairs of eyes observing them.

"This is getting out of control, Curt!" Alonzo Giovanni hissed at his friend. "I mean . . . my God! Your defense attorney is dead?"

Curt Decker's dark eyes shifted uneasily. "Shhh! Not so loud! Everyone will hear you!"

"Everyone knows about you!" Alonzo shot back. "News of the whole mess have been on the front pages of every newspaper in this city!"

Curt heaved a large sigh. "What do you want, Lonnie? Assurances that the Feds won't come knocking on your door? Because they haven't, so far. They don't even know that you're an investor."

"They suspect it!" Alonzo hesitated before he added, "Look, I need money."

"What?" Curt stared at the other man in disbelief. Bitter laughter soon follow. "You've got to be kidding! Dude, I'm the last person who can help you with extra cash. The Feds have frozen my assets."

Frustration welled within Alonzo. "Dammit, Curt! I need . . ." He hesitated. "What about your friends?"

"Who?"

Alonzo snapped, "Your initial investors. The . . . uh, Two-Twenty Investor Group. Can they help me?"

A buxom waitress appeared at the booth. Curt impatiently waved her away. "Dude! Have you forgotten? My attorney is dead! And one of the prosecutors is missing. For all I know, 'my investors' are behind everything. For all I know, I'm next on the hit list. Look, if you need money that badly, why don't you get an advance on your trust fund?"

"I tried!" Alonzo retorted. "The son-of-a-bitch attorney who works for my dad won't help."

Curt asked, "What do you need the money for?"

Alonzo sighed. Long and hard. "Remember when you said that no one probably knows about my investment into your little business? Well, someone does. About a week ago, I had received a message from someone demanding twenty-five thousand dollars to keep the Feds from finding out. I've already managed to collect twenty thousand. I just need another five thousand dollars."

Shaking his head, Curt replied, "I don't know, dude."

"C'mon man! Please?"

After a quick glance around, Curt nodded toward the club's exit. "Let's take this outside. The parking lot." He stood up. So did Alonzo. And the two friends made their way toward the nightclub's exit.

-----------

Several feet away, FBI Special Agents Lee Alvarez and Jay Ruhl eased out of their booths. With their eyes trained upon the two younger men, they followed their targets out of the club.

Neither the two young men nor the FBI agents had any idea that another pair was following them.

---------

"We've been sitting here for quite some time," Harry complained. "We are we going after our two vampires?"

Master Chan sighed. "And I thought that you had learned to curb your impatience, Harry."

The youngest McNeill sibling protested, "I have! But there's only so much patience I . . ."

"Everyone!" Scott barked. "Check out the roof!"

All eyes glanced out of the SUV's windows. Harry spotted two figures on the roof and both wore red Chinese silk robes. The red-haired witch frowned. "It looks as if they're watching someone. I wonder who?"

Scott climbed out of the SUV. The others did the same. "Who knows? But I suggest that we all keep a close eye. It looks as if they're heading toward the other side of the building." The four people made their way across the street. Scott led them toward the fire escape. "Now, hopefully we'll be able to catch these guys off guard. Piper, Harry . . . do you two have the rice?"

"Yeah," the Charmed One answered. "But I can still try my freezing power."

"We'll use the rice in case that doesn't work," Scott added. He placed a hand on the fire escape ladder and drew it down.

At that moment, Harry heard voices inside his head. Voices that did not belong to any of his three companions. "Uh guys, I don't think we're alone."

A figure emerged from behind a garbage dumpster. It turned out to be a tall, dark-haired man of a slender build. His skin looked unusually pale and he possessed what seemed to be dark-blue eyes. "How very astute of you," he said to Harry. The newcomer spoke with a faint Southern accent. The four humans stared at him. "Good evening."

"Who in the hell are you?" Piper demanded.

Harry knew the answer. "He's a vampire." Images of the stranger biting the necks of past victims filled his mind. "And he wants revenge."

The stranger's dark-blue eyes focused upon Harry. "You must be a mind reader, or something."

Slowly, Scott withdrew his sword. "Revenge for what?"

"You had killed several of our people, two nights ago," the vampire growled. He stared hard at Scott. "You, the woman and a few others. At the Golden Gate Park. We want revenge."

Piper frowned. "We?"

More figures emerged from the shadows. Two of them dropped from another fire escape. Harry counted at least ten of them . . . nearly three times the number of their party. The Southern vampire smiled eerily. "Yes. We."

--------

Cole had just finished his second glass of Melorian brandy, when Hazika finally returned with her assistant in tow. The latter carried a small stack of files. "I have the information that you had requested, Belthazor." With a wave of her hand, she removed the bottle of brady and Cole's glasses. Then she instructed Damika to place the files on the table. Hazika resumed her seat opposite the half-daemon, while Damika left the room. "For a family of mortals, the Decker family has quite an interesting history with various demonic factions."

"Like what?"

Hazika handed over one file. While Cole perused it, she continued, "Like Mr. Geoffrey Decker, for one. His family had originally emigrated from Pennsylvania to San Francisco in the late 1860s, when he was seven. On November 15, 1882 - Earth years - he signed a contract with your old order."

The news took Cole by surprise. "The Thorn Brotherhood?"

"That's right." Hazika paused, as if savoring a prize. "And it seemed that your own grandfather had served as the agent for the Brotherhood." Cole's mind reeled from the knowledge. The female daemon handed him another file. "Louis Decker. He signed a contract with the Fornost Order on April 20, 1931."

Fearing that Hazika might end up revealing the entire Decker family history, Cole interrupted. "What about the two men I had asked about? Maximillian and Curt Decker?"

Hazika grabbed two files from the stack and handed them to Cole. "Maximillian Decker had sighed a contract with the Khand Order on December 1, 1987. He had suffered a financial setback and sought their help. His son must have found out about them, because he had signed a contract with them on . . . May 6, 2003."

Cole leaned back into his chair and sighed. Now, he understood everything. He understood why Keir Larson had been hired to murder Ronald Wong. The latter - with John Reyes' authority - could have discovered and exposed the Order's connection to the Decker family. Chances are that the Khand Order had some kind of financial company or operation on Earth. And he also understood why Wong - in vampiric form - had sought Curt Decker's attorney. Wong wanted revenge for his death. Cole suspected that Decker might be Wong's next victim. But did it mean that Alonzo Giovanni might also be on Wong's list?

----------

Once outside of the Diamond Club, Curt Decker faced the parking lot and whipped out his cell phone. Alonzo watched as the older man dialed a number. Seconds later, Curt greeted, "Sandra, good evening. This is Curt Decker."

Alonzo held his breath, while his friend continued the conversation with someone named Sandra of the Twenty-Two Investor Group. If all went well, not only would he be able to pay off the blackmailer, but find a way to be free of the bastard for good.

". . . that I wasn't supposed to contact you during the trial," Curt continued. "But this isn't about me. This is about a friend." He paused. "His name?" Curt glanced at the younger man. "Alonzo Giovanni." Another pause followed. "Yeah, Mark Giovanni's son. Listen . . . um, he needs a little help. Yes, financial help." Curt nodded. "Yeah, I'll give him your card. Thanks. Bye." He disconnected his cell phone.

Eagerly, Alonzo stared at his friend. "She said yes?"

Curt sighed. "She wants you to give her a call." He reached inside his wallet and pulled out a card. "This is her number."

As Alonzo grabbed hold of the card, a voice cried out, "We'll take that." The nightclub's back door swung open and two men emerged from the building. One of them, a swarthy man with a dark crew cut, flashed his badge. "Special Agent Lee Alvarez of the FBI. And this is my partner, Special Agent Jay Ruhl. We would like that card, Mr. Giovanni."

Both Alonzo and Curt exchanged defeated looks. The former saw his hopes sink into the bay. Special Agent Ruhl barked, "Now, Mr. Giovanni! We don't have time to . . ."

A figure in red jumped upon the agent's back, knocking the latter to the ground. Alonzo recoiled at the sight of an Asian man in Chinese silk robe, long nails and greenish skin. "What the hell?" he cried. Then to his surprise, another figure with a similar appearance, jumped from above.

"Let's get out of here!" Curt cried. Alonzo decided to follow his friend's advice and quickly turned on his heels. The two friends had barely taken three steps when a gust of fetid air knocked them both against the wall.

Feeling slightly dazed, Alonzo watched as Agent Alvarez pumped two bullets into one of the creatures' chest. The latter reached out to grab the agent by the neck and kill him with one snap. The two horrified young men quickly scrambled to their feet. Grateful for his time spent in high school and college track, Alonzo slipped toward the nightclub's front door and quickly slipped inside, barely noticing Curt or anyone else.

--------

Gunshots echoed into the near empty street. Inside Olivia's BMW, both she and Darryl exchanged anxious looks. "Did I just hear gunshots?" Olivia asked.

"Yeah, and so did I," Darryl shot back. "Let's go." The two police inspectors scrambled out of the car and quickly made their way toward the nightclub. 

As they reached the other side of the street, Olivia glanced up and spotted a robed figure fly away from the building. She pointed the figure out to her partner. "Look."

Darryl glanced up. "Well, looks like he got away. The question remains . . . which one?"

Olivia merely responded with a shrug, before she and Darryl rushed toward the building's right side.

END OF CHAPTER TWELVE 


	13. Chapter 13

BREATH OF THE UNDEAD by RFK

Chapter Thirteen

The vampires attacked before Piper barely had time to blink. To her left, she saw Harry fend off a blond, female vampire. The latter had grabbed him by the neck and opened her mouth, exposing fangs. Harry closed his eyes briefly before the vampire cried out in pain, clutched her head and released him. The redhead took the opportunity to drive a piece of wood into her heart.

Scott beheaded one male vampire, using his sword. Before a second one could attack, Master Chen drove a wooden stake through the vampire's heart. Piper sighed with relief. Three down and one . . .

"Oooof!" The sound came from the Charmed One's mouth, as a pair of strong hands shoved her against the wall. Within a matter of seconds, the fanged creature pounced upon her. Piper quickly flung out her hands and froze the vampire. Then she stabbed it with her own stake, causing it to disintegrate into a pile of dust.

Harry's voice cried out, "Piper! Look out! Behind you!"

The Charmed One whirled around. Her eyes widened at the sight of another vampire zooming toward her. And for some unexplainable reason, she found herself frozen on the spot.

--------

Larson saw the blond-haired kid rush back inside the nightclub. The other kid, whom the warlock recognized as Curt Decker, found himself a captor of one of the vampires. Since the chiang shi had his back facing Larson, the latter could not determine whether or not he used to be Ronald Wong. The vampire lifted the human off the ground, amidst Decker's screams. The latter's cries soon became gurgles, as the vampire sucked out his breath. The warlock reached for Getz's sword. Before he could move, the vampire rose to the ground and flew away - much to Larson's consternation. 

At that moment, a dark-suited man with chestnut-brown hair rose to his feet. He aimed his revolver at the remaining chiang-shi. "Hold it right there!" As the dark-suited man prepared to shoot, Larson removed his hand from the sword's hilt and grabbed his revolver. Swiftly, he aimed his gun at Mr. Dark Suit and pumped two bullets into the latter's forehead. The remaining vampire, whose face remained half-hidden by the shadows, stared at Larson.

Two figures appeared in the parking lot with their guns drawn. Larson recognized them from Getz's divination chalice as the pair who had entered his home. Resentful of their trespassing and determined to kill the remaining chiang shi on his own, the warlock aimed his revolver at the pair and began to squeeze the trigger.

-------

Scott saw the vampire rush toward Piper before Harry did. As the latter cried out a warning, Scott picked up a wooden stick and hurled it at the attacking vampire. The stick thrust into the vampire's back with great force, causing the latter to disintegrate into a pile of dust.

Piper heaved a relieved sigh. Both Scott and Harry rushed to the beleaguered Charmed One's side. "Are you okay?" Scott demanded.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Piper replied.

Scott added, "Next time, try using your hands to blow up a vampire's head. Trust me, it will . . ."

Piper interrupted him with a gasp. "Mr. Chan!"

Scott whirled around and saw a female vampire grabbed the Taoist monk by the neck. He feverishly searched the ground for a wooden stake. By the time he spotted one, the female vampire had released Master Chan and was now desperately clutching her head, thanks to a telepathic attack by Harry. Scott picked up the stake and quickly plunged it into the vampire's back, vanquishing her immediately.

"Marcella!" The cry came from the dark-haired vampire with the Southern accent. He stared at the quartet of humans with furious, yellow eyes. Two of his remaining colleagues disappeared from sight, determined to survive the rest of the night. The Southern vamp rushed toward his nearest target - Master Chan - with a growl.

The Taoist priest let out a gasp before the vampire grabbed him by the shoulders. The Southern vampire bared his fangs. "Master Chan!" Scott cried out in horror. Before he could rescue the priest, Piper flung out her hands for a second time and decapitated the vampire's head with her molecular combustion ability. The vampire disintegrated into dust.

"Well done, Miss Halliwell," Master Chan declared breathlessly. He leaned back against the wall with a sigh. "Well done. Your intervention could not have come at a better time."

Piper responded with a modest shrug. "It was nothing. I just remembered Scott's advice about using my combustion power." Gunshots rang out. Her dark eyes widened with shock. "What the hell was that?" she demanded.

Scott replied grimly, "Gunshots. And they came from behind the building."

"The parking lot," Harry added.

"I think we've just found our missing Chinese vampires."

Harry started to walk away. "Let's go." He raced down the alley.

Scott exchanged brief glances with both Piper and Master Chan. The latter shook his head in mock disapproval. "Young men," he muttered. "Always in a hurry."

"I know what you mean," Piper commented with mock suffering. "And Wyatt isn't even a year old, yet." She allowed a knowing smile to touch her lips, as she, Master Chan and Scott followed Harry down the alley.

----------

Darryl and Olivia appeared behind the nightclub in time to witness the blond-haired Larson's murder of FBI Special Agent Jay Ruhl. The agent dropped to the ground . . . dead. Then Larson whirled around and aimed his revolver at the police officers. Forgetting that Olivia had identified Larson as magically dangerous, Darryl whipped out his Glock pistol and shot the blond man twice - in the heart and in the forehead. Larson's body slumped to the ground.

Olivia anxiously cried out, "Darryl! The chiang shi!"

It did not take Darryl long to recognize Curt Decker as the corpse on the ground. After knowing the Halliwells' secret for four years, the police lieutenant thought he had seen just about every creature imaginable. But the pale-green figure in a red-and-gold Chinese robe took his breath away. Fortunately, not literally. The vampire kicked Decker's body aside and stared at the two partners. He growled something in Chinese. 

"What did he say?" Darryl demanded.

Olivia replied in a shaky voice, "I think we're depriving him of victims."

The vampire glared at the pair. "Olivia," Darryl began, as anxiety crept into his voice.

The redhead glanced to her left. His eyes flashing red, the vampire rose from the ground and rushed toward the pair with claws and fangs exposed. Olivia shot out one hand and telekinetically flung the creature against a nearby, parked car. Darryl's relief did not last very long. The chiang shi rose up once more and let out a gust of breath. Darryl could not decide what was more horrifying - the vampire's fetid breath or being flung against the club's brick wall.

Then the chiang shi made its final attack. With claws extended, it zoomed toward Olivia. Darryl whipped out his pistol and shot the creature, hoping to give Olivia a distraction. It worked. Unfortunately, Darryl realized that he had attracted the vampire's attention.

The chiang shi immediately changed directions and flew straight toward the police lieutenant. Darryl froze in shock, anticipating the attack. The next few moments seemed like a scene from a STAR WARS movie. Olivia snatched up a sword that extended from a scabbard that hung from Larson's waist. With both hands gripping the sword's hilt, she executed a few moves and sliced off the vampire's two hands. The chiang shi stared at his stumps in shock before the sword's blade finally lopped off his head.

The sword fell from Olivia's grip and it clattered to the ground. Both she and Darryl stared breathlessly at the chiang shi's headless body, as it weaved for a few seconds before falling down. Darryl's body sagged with relief. Olivia finally glanced at him. "Thanks for the distraction," she said.

"Yeah," Darryl replied between gusts of breath. "Sure. But remind me never to do that again."

Olivia allowed herself a brief smile. Then she glanced up at the nightclub's building and frowned. "Oh shit," she muttered.

Darryl stared at her. "What?"

"Security camera. Above you." Darryl's eyes followed his partner's gaze. Sure enough, a security camera hovered above the club's back door. Olivia seared it with an intense stare before she looked away. "There. I had shut it . . ."

Four figures appeared in the parking lot. Their eyes drunk in the scene of blood, bodies and body parts. "Good grief!" Harry exclaimed. "What the hell is this? It looks like a blood bath around here!"

"Olivia killed a chiang shi," Darryl answered. He noticed the thick dust covering the newcomers' clothing. "What happened to you guys?"

Piper replied, "Vampires. Remember the ones from Golden Gate Park, a few nights ago? Well, we just ran into their friends around the corner." She paused and stared at the bodies on the ground. "Who are all these people?"

"Good question." A figure emerged from the building's right side. It was Cole. "What the hell happened?"

"Oh, nothing much," Olivia replied in a nonchalant manner. She and Cole exchanged a brief kiss. "Piper, Scott, Harry and Master Chan had a run-in with that vampire nest from two nights ago. Larson is dead, thanks to Darryl. I don't even know who had killed Alvarez, Ruhl and Decker. Probably our friendly neighborhood Chinese vampires. Except for Ruhl. Larson had killed him."

Darryl added, "And Olivia had killed one of the chiang shi. Chopped off his hands and head. Man! You should have seen her. She went all Jedi on the guy."

"Really?" Cole regarded his wife with admiring eyes.

Olivia blushed slightly. "It was nothing. Darryl had helped me distract him." She turned to face the Taoist priest. "I'm sorry you weren't able to use a Buddhist death prayer on him, Master Chan."

"No matter," Chan replied. "I can still use it on the other one."

Darryl frowned. "The other one?"

"Oh man!" Olivia slapped her forehead. "I forgot! There's still one other chiang shi out there! Darryl and I saw him fly away."

Harry added, "I think Ron is the one still missing." He pointed at the severed head on the ground. "Because I sure as hell don't know that joker." Everyone - except for Piper who kept her gaze averted - stared at the severed head. Darryl saw that it had belonged to a male from Southeast Asia.

"So, if Ron Wong is still alive," Scott began.

Alarm lit up both Piper and Harry's eyes. "Paige!" the latter cried out. "And Janet!"

Darryl frowned. "You think he might go after . . .?"

"I'm not going to wait and find out," Cole said. He stared at the Taoist priest. "Maybe we can finally put that death chant of yours to good use."

Olivia's former kung fu master nodded. Then Cole grabbed him by the arm and they teleported out of sight.

-------

Ten minutes earlier, both Paige and Janet sat inside the latter's living room, watching television. Only neither woman seemed interested in the images that flickered on the screen.

A sigh left Janet's mouth. "Are you hungry? I realize that it's a little late for dinner, but I can still fix a snack or something." Recalling Harry's views on Janet's cooking, Paige hesitated. The other woman seemed to notice. "Or you can fix it."

"Um . . . do you have any microwave popcorn?" Paige asked.

Janet shrugged her shoulders. "Sure. Anything is better than sitting around, wondering what's going to happen to Ron. Or if he'll show up, again."

Paige tried to assure the other woman. "Don't worry. Hopefully, this will all be over by tonight." Janet's face became a mask. "I mean . . . Ron will . . ."

"I understand," Janet quietly added. Again, she sighed. "I don't know how you can deal with all of this supernatural crap. At least you're not a demon hunter or anything like that. A person would have to be a fool to deal with ghosts, demons and such on a daily basis." Paige remained silent, while Janet chuckled. "I guess you know that Harry hates the idea of being some kind of demon hunter. There was this one guy - an angel, or what Harry called a whitelighter - who used to bug him all the time about going after some demon, back in college."

Paige sighed. "That would be my brother-in-law . . . or former brother-in-law. Leo. He also used to be my whitelighter." 

Janet's face turned pink with embarrassment. "Oh. Sorry. Um . . . I guess you must enjoy all of this. Hunting down demons. And killing them."

Recalling her near quarrel with Piper, Paige replied with brutal honesty. "Not really. Not anymore. But I don't have a choice. I'm a witch. It's my duty to protect the innocent."

"Really?" A frown appeared on Janet's forehead. "That's not what Harry told me. He said that although some witches do choose to be regular demon hunters, many others prefer other paths for witches. Like spiritual guides, healers, environmentalists and teachers. So . . . I don't know. I guess I find it rather odd that you believe that you don't have a . . ." She paused, as her frown deepened. "Did you hear that?"

Paige shook her head. "I didn't hear anything." She stared at Janet. "You think that Ron's here?"

"I don't know." Janet stood up. "I just . . . Never mind."

"Even if Ron is here," Paige continued, "he can't get inside. We had put all of that rice around the house. Just as Scott had suggested."

Janet's frown remained fixed. "Still, I thought I had heard a thump. From upstairs."

The two women glanced at the staircase. Slowly, Paige rose to her feet. She grabbed a wooden stake from the coffee table. As she started toward the staircase, Janet began to follow. "Stay back," the Charmed One ordered. "I don't want you getting in his way." She paused. "Did you leave any of the upstairs windows opened, by any chance?"

"I don't think so," Janet replied. "And I'm still sticking near you. Once you're gone, I'll be screwed."

The pair slowly began to climb the staircase. Upon reaching the first landing, Paige glanced up. The sight that greeted her eyes filled her with horror. "Oh my God! Janet! Stay back!"

"I see him," the other woman said in a trembling voice. "It's Ron."

Sure enough, a figure in red and gold stood at the top of the staircase. Despite the robe, his green-tinged skin and long fingernails, Paige recognized the jovial host from a few nights ago. "Janet, let's get out of . . ." But as she reached for Janet's wrist, the other woman had already began to return downstairs. "Janet!"

The chiang shi, or Ron, rose into the air and sailed over Paige's head. He landed directly between the staircase and Janet. Realizing that the other woman was in danger of being paralyzed again, Paige orbed her to the foot of the staircase, right next to her. The Charmed One grabbed the other woman's hand. "Let's . . ." A fetid odor enveloped the two woman and it knocked them backward.

"Oh God," Janet moaned. "He's coming for us." The vampire had begun to glide toward the staircase.

Paige corrected the other woman, "Actually, he's coming for you. Look . . ." She broke off, as her eyes fell upon a pencil on the coffee table. In a desperate move, she orbed it into the chiang shi's torso. Unfortunately, the latter's thick robe prevented the pencil from complete penetration.

The chiang shi's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Oh shit," Paige murmured under her breath. She grabbed Janet's hand, as she prepared to orb the both of them out of harm's way. At that moment, two figures materialized into the foyer. Paige sighed with relief. With a wave of his hand, Cole sent the vampire flying back into a tall, grandfather clock. "Cole!" Paige literally sang with relief. She glanced at the other newcomer. "Mr. Chan? Where's Piper and the others?"

"They're back at the . . ." Cole began.

A second later, the chiang shi rose to his feet and released a gust of breath. Paige, along with the other three, went sprawling backward until they crashed against the coffee table and the sofa. Cole was the first to scramble to his feet. "Son of a bitch!" he muttered. Before he could retaliate, the chiang shi struck him with another gust of breath. To Paige's dismay, the half-demon's face began to turn a sickly green. Cole clutched desperately at his throat, emitting a gurgling sound.

"What's wrong with him?" Paige demanded.

A shocked Mister Chan muttered, "I believe that the chiang shi is killing him."

"What?" One finally gasp escaped from Cole's mouth. Then his body jerked slightly before it fell to the floor. One glance at the half-demon's pale countenance told Paige that he might be dead. "Oh my God!" she murmured. "Cole! Oh my God, he's dea . . ."

A loud gasp from Cole's body interrupted Paige. She, along with Janet, Mister Chan and the vampire, gasped in shock, as Cole struggled to his feet. Then he immediately waved one hand and the chiang shi froze right on the spot. "I've managed to slow him down," Cole said to the Taoist priest. "Now would be a good time to use that death chant." His voice sounded raspy.

Slowed down? Paige peered closely at the vampire. Sure enough, his body seemed to move at a millimeter per second.

The Taoist priest removed a slip of yellow paper from his jacket pocket. He stuck it on the vampire's forehead. "Thank goodness for post-its, heya?" Then he began to chant in a Chinese language. Once he finished, a greenish light infused the chiang shi. The latter's body convulsed for several seconds. As it dropped to the floor, a white light burst into a visual explosion.

The light finally dissipated, revealing Ronald Wong's body sprawled on the floor. A sob rose from Janet's throat. "Ron!" She broke free from Paige's grasp and rushed forward to kneel beside her former boyfriend. As she stroked his hair, she added, "Oh Ron!" before bursting into tears.

Paige and Cole exchanged uncomfortable looks. Ron's body had to be moved. They could not afford to allow the police to find it here. Questions would be raised. So, the Charmed One stepped forward. "Janet," she began gently. The other woman now cradled Ronald's head in her lap. Paige heaved a sigh. "Janet, we need to . . ."

"Not now," Janet replied in a tearful voice. "I can't . . ."

"Janet, please!" Paige's voice rang with desperation. "We need to move him."

Mister Chan sharply added, "Young lady! You can grieve for your young man, tomorrow. Right now, his body needs to be moved from here."

Paige took a few more steps forward. She touched Janet's shoulder. "Let him go, Jan. You can see him again. Later."

Wiping tears from her eyes, Janet slowly stood up. She turned away, as Cole approached Ron's body. He waved one hand over it. The body immediately disappeared. "There," he said in a voice that remained raspy. "He should be found by someone, tomorrow morning." Another sob tore from Janet's mouth. Cole regarded her with a helpless expression. "Sorry."

It seemed quite apparent to Paige that Janet needed to be alone. Ignoring the two men, she wrapped one arm around the sobbing woman's shoulders and led her upstairs, toward the privacy of the latter's bedroom.

END OF CHAPTER THIRTEEN 


	14. Chapter 14

BREATH OF THE UNDEAD by RFK

Chapter Fourteen

"I'm making some tea for Cole. Does anyone else want a drink?" Olivia asked the four guests. Cole glanced around his living room and saw both Darryl and Scott shaking their heads. Both Piper and Master Chan, on the other hand, asked for water. Olivia nodded. "I'll have a bottle of water for each of you," she added. Then she turned to Cole. "And I'll get started on your tea."

Cole frowned at his wife. "What for?"

"After what happened to you this evening, you'll need it," Olivia continued. "You should see your face. You look exhausted." She turned away and headed for the kitchen.

The half-daemon automatically began touching his face. "What did she mean by that?" he demanded. "Do I look tired?"

"A little," Scott answered.

The Taoist priest grunted. "I am not surprised. The breath of the chiang shi can be very powerful."

"But powerful enough to kill Cole?" a confused Piper demanded. "Even for a few seconds?"

With a shrug, Master Chan continued, "Telepathy can affect him. Why not the chiang shi's breath? Not only is it powerful, but insidious as well. Luckily for Mr. Turner, he has a self-healing ability."

"And apparently it's still working," Scott added. "Which would account for the exhausted look on Cole's face."

Cole retorted, "I don't feel tired." Actually, he did. But he had felt annoyed by Olivia's coddling and Scott's immediate observation of his physical state.

Darryl shook his head and said, "I'm still confused by how one becomes a . . . chiang shi. I mean . . . is it the breath of another vampire?"

"Sudden death." An amused Cole noticed that both Scott and Master Chan had spoken at the same time.

The Taoist priest added, "It is like I had explained to Miss Halliwell, every sentient being has two souls - a superior soul or the 'hun', and an inferior soul called the 'po'. You see, the hun or yang energy usually leaves the body upon death. But the po or yin remains active. Especially if the deceased has unfinished business on Earth."

"And Ronald Wong had unfinished business, when he was murdered," Darryl said, nodding. "Okay, I get it." He paused with a frown on his face. The superior and inferior soul? Now, why does that sound familiar?"

Clearing his throat, Cole explained, "Because Cecile Dubois probably told you something similar, when you were possessed by that bokor over a year ago."

Scott demanded, "What are you talking about?"

Olivia returned to the living room, carrying a tray that held two water bottles and a cup filled with tea. She served the water to both Piper and Master Chan. "Cole is talking about Vodoun or West African beliefs. You remember, don't you, Piper?"

"Not really," the Charmed One remarked dryly.

Recalling what Andre had once told him, Cole continued. "Like the Chinese, Vodoun practitioners believe that the soul has two parts - the gros bon ange, which the Chinese call the hun and the ti bon ange, or the po."

"Now, the gros bon ange reflects the part of the cosmic energy that turns into life force and the ti bon ange reflects the person's knowledge and experience," Olivia added. "The ti bon ange is also responsible for deciding individual characteristics, personality and will and is also the most vulnerable part of the human make-up to sorcery. And when the ti bon ange is dormant - when you are asleep or near death - a person becomes vulnerable to possession." Olivia handed Cole his cup of tea. "Here you go. It's a mixture of thyme, cloves, caraway seeds and peppermint." 

The half-daemon rolled his eyes and took a sip of tea. Hmmmm. At least it taste pretty good.

Master Chan shook his head in amazement. "I had no idea that some Chinese beliefs were similar to West African ones. Very interesting."

"What happens to Ronald Wong now?" Piper asked.

Scott shrugged. "His body will be given a proper burial. And since his killer is also dead . . . there's nothing else we can do."

"What about the people who had hired that warlock, Larson?"

Between sips, Cole revealed what he had learned from Hazika. "Now that Curt Decker is dead, his soul now belongs to the Khand Order. Forever."

A silent pause filled the room before Piper continued, "Shouldn't we go after them?"

"What for?" Olivia demanded, as she sat down next to Cole. "Curt Decker is dead. So is Keir Larson. What else can we do?"

Piper muttered, "I don't know. How about we try to save his soul?"

In his most patient voice, Cole explained, "It's too late for that, Piper. Curt Decker had agreed to a contract. Without any coercion by the Khand Order, I might add. Only the Khand Order can break the contract." Piper opened her mouth to speak, but he continued. "If you're thinking of destroying the Khand Order . . . don't bother. The deaths of their members won't change anything. Trust me. A demonic contract usually survives the death of the daemon who drafted it." With a shrug, he added, "What can I say? Loopholes."

"Besides," Master Chan added, "This Mr. Decker had made a deal with 'the devil' - so to speak. Just because he was human does not mean that he can easily avoid the agreement he had made with this demonic order. Human or not, Mr. Decker must pay the consequences for his actions. Even if it means with his soul."

One glance at Piper's fact told Cole that she did not care for this resolution. Well, he did not exactly care for it, either. But he knew that the destruction of the Khand Order would save Curt Decker's soul.

"I have a question," Scott piped up. "For Darryl. What do you plan to do with the surveillance tape from the Diamond Club's parking lot."

Both Olivia and Darryl exchanged cryptic looks. Then the latter added, "Turn it over to Captain McPherson." His answer produced uneasy looks from the others - including Cole.

"Uh . . ." Scott began uneasily. "What did you do? Change it or something?"

Darryl replied, "Nope. Olivia had convinced me that we might as well leave it alone." Both Piper and Scott opened their mouths to protest. "Don't worry. The tape didn't catch Livy using her telekinesis to grab Larson's sword. And she had turned it off before the rest of you and Harry had even arrived in the parking lot."

"But it still shows the vampire," Cole reminded his wife's partner.

A cryptic smile curved Olivia's lips. "Yes it does. And when McPherson and the FBI finally see it, they will make damn sure that the public will never learn the truth. Trust me."

---------

Just as Olivia had predicted, the FBI paid a visit to her squad room, the following morning. The redhead found herself inside Captain McPherson's office with Darryl, the Captain and two FBI agents. All five people were viewing the video tape that the Federal agents had retrieved from the Diamond Club's parking lot security camera.

Olivia winced, as she watched herself slice off the chiang shi's head. The camera had failed to tape her picking up the sword, using her telekinesis - thank the God and Goddess. Her fellow companions - including Darryl - watched the video images with rapt attention. Fortunately, the video did not include sound . . . which meant that it did not capture any compromising dialogue. Once the tape ended, Special Agent Daniel Archer let out a breathless, "Wow! You really took care of that . . . that thing, didn't you?" He regarded Olivia with admiring eyes. "When did you learn how to use a sword like that?"

Coolly, Olivia replied, "While taking martial arts lessons. It's a form of Kung Fu called Wu Su." She sighed. "I only wish I could have killed him before he got his hands on Agent Alvarez."

The other FBI agent, a stoic, middle-aged man named Langella, frowned. "I thought that Keir Larson had killed Alvarez."

"No, he had killed Agent Ruhl," Darryl replied. "The . . . um, thing had killed Alvarez. Snapped his neck." Captain McPherson shot him a warning glance.

"What thing?" Langella's words drew stunned stares from the others. "As far as the FBI are concerned, Special Agents Lee Alvarez and Jay Ruhl had been killed by Keir Larson. Along with Ronald Wong, Dean Corbin and Curt Decker. The Justice Department had always suspected that other investors had financed his drug operation. Only, we never learned their names. With Wong investigating the money trail, it only seemed natural that Decker's partners wanted the prosecutor dead. And as far as we're concerned, these investors had also decided not to stop with Wong. They hired Larson to kill anyone connected to the case, including Agents Alvarez and Ruhl who were investigating Decker. I wouldn't be surprised if the main prosecutor - John Reyes - was next on the list."

With genuine sarcasm, Darryl asked, "And how do you expect us to explain the deaths of Kenny Jai and Bernard Remar?"

Captain McPherson answered, "Unsolved cases, as far as the Department is concerned." Olivia opened her mouth to protest. "Not now, McNeill."

"It's Turner," Olivia retorted. "And may I assume that the Diamond Club video tape won't see the light of day?"

McPherson shot back, "Unless you decide to start a citywide panic over unnatural beings. And I don't think any of us would want that to happen. Including you."

Olivia expressed silent resentment, although she privately felt relieved. Her first impulse had been to destroy the nightclub's surveillance tape. But she soon realized that neither she, Darryl nor Scott had any excuses the deaths of Alvarez, Ruhl and Curt Decker. Also, the police and the FBI had arrived just as Darryl and her had finished viewing the tape. With the video tape in Federal hands, agencies like the FBI or the Homeland Security might realize that Darryl had nothing to hide.

Feigning disappointment, Olivia muttered, "No, I guess not." She ignored Darryl's surreptious glance.

Langella nodded. "Good. As far as we're concerned, there were no . . . vampires." He paused. "The one that . . . flew away, no longer exists. "And as for the . . . uh, man or . . . whatever that Inspector Turner had killed last night . . ."

"Vampire," Olivia curtly corrected. "It was a vampire. I had chopped his head off. Then it became . . . human."

The FBI agent sighed. "Has he or . . . it been identified?"

Darryl spoke up. "His name was Saad Yooung, a Chinese-Malaysian building contractor from Singapore. He had been murdered by person or persons unknown. A few days later, his body had disappeared from his coffin, hours before the funeral."

"As far as we're concerned, Yooung's body is missing," Langella stated. "The FBI will be more than happy to make sure that it ends up back in Singapore. Anything else?"

To Olivia's surprise, McPherson asked a question. "What about that blond man in the video? The one who was talking to Decker?"

Agent Archer inhaled sharply. "You mean Alonzo Giovanni? Two of our agents are questioning him, right now."

--------

Cole picked up the glass of water and took a sip. Then he sat back into his chair and stared at the two FBI agents that sat on the other side of the conference table. Alonzo Giovanni fidgeted nervously in the chair next to him.

"We want to thank you for coming here, Mr. Giovanni," Agent Black said in a polite voice. "I suppose that you've heard about Curt Decker. He was killed last night by a professional hit man."

Alonzo jerked forward. "Professional hit man? I thought he was . . ."

The female agent sharply interrupted him. "It was a hit man, Mr. Giovanni. A Mr. Keir Larson." She glanced at Cole. "I believe that your wife had been present at the scene."

The half-daemon ignored Alonzo's questioning stare and smiled. "And I believe that you have questions for my client."

The FBI agent allowed herself a sardonic smile. "If you insist, Mr. Turner." Then she returned her attention to Alonzo. "Mr. Giovanni, a surveillance tape for the Diamond Club's parking lot has revealed that you had conversed with Mr. Decker, shortly before his death. What did you two discuss?"

Cole spoke up. "Didn't you find out through the video?"

A grimace appeared on Agent Black's face before she answered, "The video didn't pick up any sound." She turned to Cole's client. "Mr. Giovanni?"

Looking as sullen as ever, Alonzo heaved a sigh. "Money."

"What?"

Cole repeated his client's answer. "Mr. Giovanni said that he and Mr. Decker had discussed money."

Alonzo added, "Curt . . . wanted to borrow money from me. I guess that he's been tight with the cash, ever since his arrest."

"That happened last fall, Mr. Giovanni," Agent Hamill added. He was a stocky man, who happened to be Agent Black's partner. "Are you saying that it took him four months to ask his best friend for money?"

Cole decided it would be best to speak up for his client. "What are you suggesting, Agent Hamill? Are you accusing my client of lying?"

Agent Black sighed. "No, Mr. Turner. We just find it odd that Curt Decker would wait so . . ."

Alonzo interrupted. "If you must know, Curt had first asked me for money after you guys had frozen his assets. But the recent testimony from one of your witnesses and Dean Corbin's death had made him panic. He asked for money, again. I think he was planning to skip town."

Agent Black leaned back into her chair and sighed for the second time. "Okay, Mr. Giovanni. You're free to go."

Cole and his three companions stood up. Then Alonzo took the half-daemon by surprise with his next question. "Ummm . . . what happens to Curt's assets, now that he's dead?"

Both Cole and the agents stared at the blond man. "Why do you want to know?" Agent Hamill demanded.

With a shrug, Alonzo replied, "Just curious. I figured that Curt must have lost a lot of money after he was arrested."

"If you must know," Agent Black said, "Mr. Decker's assets will be confiscated by the U.S. government. I understand that the amount is considerable - over twenty-three million dollars."

Not bad, Cole thought privately. The Federal government manages to make a twenty-three million dollar profit, due to the illegal activities of a millionaire's son. Then Cole glanced at his client. The younger man's face looked deathly pale. Cole wondered how much of that twenty-three million had belonged to Alonzo.

--------

Nearly an hour later, Alonzo arrived at the Giovanni manor. He ignored the family's manservant and rushed upstairs to his bedroom. Once behind closed doors, he whipped out his cell phone and the business card that Curt had given him. Alonzo took a deep breath and dialed the number from the card. Seconds passed before a female's voice answered. "The Twenty-Two Investor Group. May I help you?"

"Yes. I would like to speak to Saundra . . . Gilroy," Alonzo replied. "Um . . . she was recommended by a friend."

The voice asked, "May I have your name, sir? And the name of the person who had made the recommendation?"

Alonzo hesitated. "My name is Alonzo Giovanni. And the person who had told me about your company is . . . I mean, was Curt Decker."

A long pause followed. Then the voice said, "One moment please."

Several minutes passed before another female's voice spoke up. "This is Sandra Gilroy. May I help you, Mr. Giovanni?"

"Um . . . before he was killed, Curt . . . Mr. Decker had recommended your company to help me with a financial matter," Alonzo replied.

Ms. Gilroy hesitated. "Oh. Are you interested in investments?"

"I . . . Does your company only handle investments?"

The woman replied smoothly, "I see. You need to borrow money. Is that it?"

Hope dawned within Alonzo. "I can pay you back," he promised in a slightly wavering voice. "With interest."

Along long pause followed. Ms. Gilroy finally said, "Then I suggest that you pay a visit to my office, tomorrow. It's located at 582 Montgomery Street, Sixth Floor. I'll expect you around . . . ten-thirty."

For a brief moment, Alonzo wondered if he might be making a mistake. After all, the Twenty-Two Group never did help Curt . . . in the end. But unlike his late friend, he did not plan to start a drug operation. Just pay off a blackmailer. "I'll be there," Alonzo quietly replied.

"Good. Good day, Mr. Giovanni."

Alonzo sighed. Somehow, he felt as if he had signed a pact with the devil. "Good day." And then he hung up.

-------

Piper glanced up as Paige entered the manor's living room. "You're home rather early."

The younger woman sighed, as she flopped down on the sofa. "Barbara had let me have the day off. Especially since Harry and I have been taking care of Janet all night long. And this morning. Ron's family had finally arrived just before lunch."

With a nod, Piper added, "I heard from Scott that Ron's body was found this morning."

"Yeah. Two cops came by to tell Janet." Paige heaved another sigh. "This whole thing has been very depressing. I mean . . . why would anyone want to kill Ron?"

"Scott thinks it has something to do with the Curt Decker case," Piper answered. She frowned. "The odd thing is that the guy who had killed Ron was a warlock. At least according to Olivia and Darryl. Olivia plans to look deeper into his background."

Paige shook her head in confusion. "Why would a warlock want Ron dead? He didn't practice magic, did he?"

"Olivia and Cole think that the late Curt Decker had signed a contract with a demonic order. Maybe they had Ron killed to prevent him from finding out about them."

This time, Paige groaned out loud. "Oh God! I've had it with vampires! If you think that dealing with the Queen of the Vampires was bad enough, try dealing with a chiang . . ."

Blue lights appeared in front of the sofa before they formed into the sisters' whitelighter, Chris Perry. "Hey guys!" he greeted. "I'm glad that you're all here."

Piper rolled her eyes. "Oh God! What is it now?"

"Before we start, we'll need Phoebe on this." Chris turned to the other woman. "Paige, could you send for . . .?"

"No, I can't!" the youngest Charmed One retorted. "In fact, I suggest that you fetch Phoebe yourself. I've had enough of demon hunting to last a lifetime!"

Piper regarded her sister with shock. "Paige!"

"Paige what? I'm serious Piper. I've had enough! I'm tired of being nothing more than a glorified demon hunter. There's got to be more to being a witch than that."

Chris mumbled sarcastically in a low voice, "This sounds familiar."

"What do you mean by that?" Paige demanded. When Chris failed to answer, her voice became even more acidic. "Oh, I see. Another secret that you have to keep from us. What's the point of you being our whitelighter, when all you do is . . ."

Chris interrupted, "You know, why is it that all of you had a bad habit of complaining constantly about being witches?"

Piper's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "We 'had' a bad habit? Had?"

A sigh left the young whitelighter's mouth. "Great! Okay, I didn't want to say this, but . . . In my time, all three of you are dead. The Power of Three is over."

"We were all killed?" Paige demanded. "I thought you had first told us that I was the one who ended up dead in the old timeline. Because of the Titans."

Chris glanced away nervously. "Yeah, well things changed . . . after the Titans were taken care of. This time . . . I mean, in the new timeline, you were all eventually killed. By a great force of evil."

"Who happened to be?" Piper insisted.

Chris hesitated. "You son. Wyatt. He will become a great force of magical evil. All other witches, warlocks, demons and other beings will be oppressed. By him. And you . . . well, Phoebe and Paige will be killed by him." Another pause followed. "After you, Piper, are killed by a demon. Look, the reason I'm here is to prevent Wyatt from turning to evil. He was in danger of becoming evil, even in the old timeline. I need the Power of Three to find the demon who'll turn him." He stared at Paige. "That's why you can't give up on being witches. Your future . . . and Wyatt's future might depend upon you staying the course."

Silence enveloped the living room. Both Paige and Piper stared at each other before directing their stares at Chris. Paige opened her mouth to speak, but found herself unable to say a word. Piper could see that her resolve to give witchcraft had crumbled under Chris' words. And even the oldest Charmed One felt a new resolve. Chris was right. Until they found the demon who might end up changing Wyatt's life, their lives as the Charmed Ones might end on a premature and tragic note.

END OF CHAPTER FOURTEEN 


	15. Epilogue

BREATH OF THE UNDEAD by RFK

Epilogue

Saundra Gilroy, also known as Dhea of the Khand Order, disconnected her cell phone and smiled to herself. She then reached for her desk telephone and dialed another number. Seconds later, a familiar voice answered, "Arthur Winslow, speaking."

"Artemus? This is Dhea. Of the Khand Order. I have some news for you."

The other daemon's voice radiated anticipation. "Alonzo Giovanni?"

Dhea replied, "I had just received a call from him. He's interested in borrowing money from the Twenty-Two Group."

Artemus smugly continued, "Good. It seems that my little blackmail scheme has worked. When you had told me about your deal with Mr. Decker and his connections with the Giovanni family, I knew that an opportunity had presented itself. When will you see him?"

"Tomorrow." Dhea paused, as she contemplated her next question. "When would you like for me to sell Mr. Giovanni's contract to you?"

A pause followed before Artemus answered, "As soon as he signs it. Mr. Giovanni's contract might come in handy . . . in case a plan of min doesn't work. Good day, Dhea. And thank you."

"It's always a pleasure to help you, Artemus. I look forward to the day when you become the new Source." The two daemons bid each other good-bye.

-------

Inside his private study, William Bourgh's cell phone rang. The judge picked it up and answered it. "Hello?"

"Judge Bourgh," a familiar voice replied. "It's me, Cedric Lloyd. I called to find out if you had learned the news."

Bourgh's mind went momentarily blank. "The news?"

"Come now, Your Honor," Lloyd chided. "I'm sure that you know of whom I speak. His body was found inside a dumpster, in San Mateo. It was on the news, this afternoon."

Oh yes. Ronald Wong. Two FBI agents had informed him of Wong's death, this morning. They had also reported Curt Decker's death. "Yes, I heard."

"The offer still stands, Your Honor," Lloyd continued. "And Wong is no longer in a position to pose as a threat to you."

Bourgh sighed. He had already destroyed the material that arrived in that large, yellow envelope several days ago. However, Bourgh felt certain that Cedric Lloyd's client possessed copies. Along with the promise of shares in the Magan Corporation, the judge had come to a final decision. "I'll be more than happy to help your client, Mr. Lloyd. What do I need to do?"

The attorney's voice radiated triumph. "Good! I understand that you'll be free, tomorrow afternoon. I suggest that you come by my office at the Winslow Building around two o'clock. It is located on the 11th Floor. We'll draw up papers for your employment . . . and your shares. Until tomorrow, Your Honor."

"Right." Bourgh immediately hung up. Then he sunk his head into his hands and sighed. Despite his past affairs and shady dealings, he felt as if he had finally sunk into an abyss.

THE END 


End file.
